Sole
by Liliath
Summary: "Wherever Hokage-sama goes, so does he. Uchiha Sasuke." Suspense and drama, hints of romance and shounen-ai, but, most importantly, the question of "what is going on between Sasuke and Naruto?"
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Shishou!"

"Yes?"

The child smiled, its small, beady eyes almost sparkling. "Do you love Hokage-sama?"

She smiled back, crouching down, eyes directed into the child's, a tranquil expression on her face. "Of course I do. But you do, too, don't you?"

The child nodded vigorously, its small head abruptly bobbing up and down in a mad hurry, the strands of hair slashing about, the smile widening even more as if to mirror its joy. "Yes! I love Hokage-sama!"

She laughed. "Good."

"But you love love him, ne?"

She blinked. "Love love?"

Once more, the child nodded. "Yes, yes!" Then, suddenly coy, it averted its eyes and directed them upon the ground below and in them – contained the whole of its curiosity in one simple glance. "Like… love love. Shishou… You. You love him!" And then it bellowed.

She stared, stared – stared, completely bewildered and somewhat embarrassed. Eyes were on her. She felt her muscles tense, mind panic – it was undesired, she knew, this attention she was given, all because of one child's outburst – but then as she found herself looking into the eyes of her young companion, of the small girl barely aged ten, whose strawberry hair cut to resemble a bowl stuck in all different direction, all tenseness disappeared and she did the only thing she could.

Sakura stroked the girl's chubby face and almost giggled. "Not like that, no. But I do love him. After all, he is my precious person."

The girl blushed, a deep shade of crimson stretched symmetrically across her cheeks, and looked up to meet Sakura's eyes. "Hokage-sama has a precious person too?"

"Of course."

"Who?"

"You."

The blush intensified tenfold, reaching the shell-shaped ears, the exposed neck, the collarbone hidden beneath her clothing. "Me? Does he really?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes. Hokage-sama loves everyone. You and I and your kaa-saa and tou-san. Your otouto and nee-san, all your friends and all of mine. And everyone loves Hokage-sama." Cutely, she cocked her head to the side, one eye squinted in mock disbelief. "You must know that."

"I do," protested the girl meekly, her upturned nose wrinkled, lower lip enthralled by a feathery quiver. "I… I really, really love Hokage-sama. I love him so, so much! He made it that my parents are alive; he made it that we're all alive. He saved us all." She paused, sniffed and puckered her lips. "Does Shishou think so, too?"

Sakura's gaze softened. "Of course, Yumi-chan." She did, she really did… She-

"What prompted this, by the way?" she asked, curious then.

Yumi wiggled away from Sakura's reach, her small feet leading her further away, the grass tickling the bared skin, the sun shining down upon her and Sakura's figure. Around them, more children whooped happily, their parents smiling, serene, from afar, safely hidden under the shadows of all the buildings circling the park.

Then Yumi stopped and looked up at the sky, eyes squinted, lips parted. "Is Hokage-sama ever going to marry?"

Sakura stood to her feet, head inclined to the side, eyes mildly surprised. "Yumi-chan?"

"Ne, ne… Hokage-sama loves us all, right? Right! But if you love someone, you marry them, ne? But if there's too many of us? Surely, Hokage-sama can't marry us all!"

"Well, no," replied Sakura, amusement tinting her words. "I don't think that's possible," she added as an afterthought, although… Maybe since it was him, maybe…? "In a way, Hokage-same already is married, no?"

"Wah?" And Yumi didn't understand that.

Sakura giggled wolfishly, closing the distance between her and her self-proclaimed student. "Well, he loves his job. And he loves this village. And he loves us all. So?"

Yumi pouted. Then she kicked at the ground, obviously frustrated all of the sudden. Sakura didn't like the display of aggression. It was too soon for her.

"Yumi-chan." There. A warning simple enough.

And Yumi stopped. Yumi stopped and met Sakura's eyes only with a certain bitter hesitation. Sakura would have sighed. She didn't, however, knowing that soon enough the girl would spill the beans and finally say what she'd possibly been hoping to say all along. She wondered, though, what had the girl this dismayed.

"Sakura-hime?"

"Hm?"

"Hokage-sama…"

"Yes?"

A pause. A fearful pause. Worry.

"Hokage-sama… Loves us all. I know that. And he is loved by all. And he isn't going to marry. Never ever. But he should. I think he should. Sakura-hime loves him, Hinata-sama loves him, Ino-chan loves him-"-steadily growing, the presence of urgency on her voice-"-and he loves you too, ne? Why don't you marry Hokage-sama?"

"He doesn't… Yumi-chan, Hokage-sama doesn't love me that way… At least." Maybe not any longer, does he?

Sakura looked at the ground, its uneven, grained texture a welcomed change to the memory fuzzy and blurred conjured up by her unfaithful mind.

"Yumi-chan, listen." Carefully, she took the girl's shoulders in her hands and knelt down in front of the girl – whose face now resembled a tomato with many stains running down the cheeks, marring it. "Some things are too complicated. It's not that easy. See, I know we all love him, but marrying… It's not just that. You need to find your most precious person. Someone who's always there. Always on your mind, always in your heart and always by your side. A feeling like that isn't a notion you can go by with ease, Yumi-chan. A feeling like that is too complicated to describe." At last, she sighed. Somehow, this conversation was tiring her out. She wished to know what had possessed the little girl to start asking such questions, but dared not further pressure her so; already, just from the looks of it, Yumi's mind was undergoing changes it wasn't prepared for just yet and her expression had contorted into one of absolute confusion which seemed to grip her firmly – and despite her best efforts to understand, eventually, all the small girl could do, was nod.

Sakura heaved out a sigh of relief and exhaustion, standing up to her full height, so tired already, even if the noon had yet to arrive. But she was babysitting the child, because it wasn't school day today and all the children had thus so much free time on their hands – and so little desire to train. Perhaps the idea of lasting peace was too much of a burden to be born with.

Lost in thought, she looked over the shoulder at the Monument, where the latest Hokage's face had been carved into stone shortly after his coming to power.

_It really suits you there._

"Sakura-hime."

The child's soft voice called out to her thoughts. Sakura's eyes remained glued on his face.

"Sakura-hime… But there is someone like that. There is someone like that in Hokage-sama's life. I've seen him."

The smile on Sakura's face – magically conjured up without her knowledge moments prior to the child's innocuous statement – wavered.

"He is always there, always. I saw him just yesterday; he was walking by Hokage-sama's side and he looked so much like a statue, too. And he and Hokage-sama. They… They looked so close…"

The smile on Sakura's face froze completely. She knew, without a moment of doubt, that she didn't want to hear the girl's words.

"Wherever Hokage-sama goes, so does he."

No, she didn't want to. And she didn't need to.

"Is he Hokage-sama's must precious person?"

Because she already knew.

Sakura closed her eyes.

_Naruto…_

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Wind carried the whispered name. Again in her life, Sakura wished it had never been spoken.

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The ANBU stepped aside and nodded. Or so Sakura thought, but it was hard to tell when the man's mask covered efficiently his entire face and when the odd clothing he was wearing ensured only his hands were visible. Honestly… She grimaced.

"Hokage-sama is expecting you."

Sakura nodded back at the man and, expression grim, heartbeat rapid and breathing shallow – she entered the office.

Naruto was expecting her, eh? Somehow, that thought seemed so hard to believe; he lay upon the table, head surrounded by documents he was probably supposed to look at and sign, eyes tiredly closed to rest for a while, a hand stretched out in front of him – the brightness of the dying sun streaming through the open window illuminating his still figure.

He looked so eternally peaceful, so alike to the eternal peace he'd given them all.

And still the girl's daunting words haunted her.

"Naruto, you're supposed to be working," she said softly, feet leading her further into the room, away from the darkness seeping inside from the hallway, into the light of the sunshine.

He stirred, eyes opened just barely, recognition already bubbling somewhere behind the baby-blues. He'd grown so much, hadn't he? Changed so much. Sakura smiled to herself and while his mind took its precious time to awaken from the sleep-induced stupor, she took hers to study him.

Ah, so tall already, even if the seated position didn't show. Broad-shouldered, even if the clothes did a splendorous job of covering that. His face looked just as young, but the eyes were older, barren at times, should one look long enough – but still so vivacious and so, so very blue.

Bluer than any before.

Sakura thought he looked handsome. And he could have been even more had she not known him as a child.

_Never mind._

A bit more resolved than before, Sakura coughed, placing a clipboard she'd been holding in her hands the entire time on the table.

"Na-ru-to. Wake up."

At last his eyes opened.

"Sa-… Sakura-chan?" Cute. Almost like a child. Almost.

And definitely too much for a twenty-something man that was the leader of one nation.

"…Sakura-chan!" And with that one happy yell, he was up on his feet, face grinning, eyes smiling, the whisker marks on his cheeks wrinkled. Sakura believed the exuberance was contagious.

"Oh, jeez, you fell asleep in your office again."

"Aw, but Sakura-chan," he whined, lips puckered, pouting.

Sakura frowned, demonstrating her displeasure with him – and he reciprocated by resembling even more a kicked puppy.

"I swear I've been doing my work," he muttered childishly, flopping himself back onto his seat and resting his head onto the table. "You don't know how boring all this work is. Sign this, sign that. Bah! I can't stand it." A low guttural sound escaped him, which Sakura identified as a throaty groan and easily dismissed.

"Now, now, you are the Hokage now, Naruto, your responsibilities lay not only in fighting, but also in decision-making and representing our country."

She frowned. Mostly in decision-making, but-

"Argh. So not fair."

She sighed. "Naruto…" she said, a clear sign of warning in her voice.

"What."

And that was a remarkably terrible look of innocence.

"Ah~, you're impossible," she groaned, one hand massaging her temple, fighting the already blossoming headache.

Naruto pouted some more and peered up at her through half-lidded eyes. Ah, he was making it so impossible for her to be mad at him… She sighed and just gave up.

"Oh, alright, whatever."

He grinned and cheered. "Woot!" Then, however, he did this thing – this thing called staring; intent and searching, most beseeching as his eyes pierced hers and she found herself under his scrutinizing stare.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, you look worried. Is everything alright?"

His genuine concern was sweet – but her mind failed to appreciate it appropriately. Instead, it indulged her with joy in her worries.

And once more the conversation from earlier that day was rewound before her very eyes, starting at the precise moment when the innocuous matter had been brought up – to the moment when the cursed man had intervened.

But… She couldn't… Not possibly… Tell him that. She-

"I'm fine." He didn't look away. She did. "I'm really fine, Naruto. Just worried about my duties, I guess."

"Hmmm."

Oh, why did he have to act so smart now, why…?

"Oh, look, I'm really fine-"

"I believe you."

"Wha-?" Startled, she blinked.

Naruto was grinning at her, his smile extremely broad and infectious. "If Sakura-chan says she's alright, then Sakura-chan is alright."

And that was it. Conversation – over. And the ease with which he dismissed some things even now was so truly foolish, yet so enviable. Sakura looked at him, at his smiling, happy face, at the brightness of his golden hair, at the brilliance of his persona as clear as envisioned by people years ago when the war had ended at last.

She felt her brows furrow, knit together, the lips draw back, the eyes fill up and the cheeks redden.

Just then she noticed it; the lack of that ominous presence, the one not to be named.

"Naruto? Where is-he?"

Naruto's eyes widened just a friction, a subsequent nonchalant shrug following. "Sasuke? Beats me. Probably watching me."

"Eh? He watches you?"

"Yeah, usually."

"Usually…" she found herself repeating, voice deadpan and dull as she mulled the words over in her mind. Sasuke… watched Naruto… Okay, mildly creepy.

"What do you mean he watches you?"

Naruto looked up at the ceiling at a random point somewhere in there. "He's around. He's always around."

Somehow, she was reminded of the words. "Whenever you go, he goes too." A mantra that had come true even without chanting, even without her utmost consent, without her knowledge.

Naruto smiled a smile of merciless honesty. "Yeah, pretty much. Now that you mention him, I'm sure he'll be showing up soon. He never leaves me alone for too long."

Just hearing that brought on an impossible urge to be violent. "Naruto, that's not alright."

He looked not one bit perturbed. "What do you mean?"

"That's-okay, don't you think that's just a bit… wrong? He follows you around and…"

He looked too contended. "Sakura-chan, it's alright."

She didn't. "No, it's not!"

Naruto stared, taken back and Sakura was surprised by her anger. She didn't necessarily hate Sasuke, no - in fact, to this day she didn't know what she felt about him… And what he did and afterwards and-but didn't Naruto see how wrong it was?

It was-she swallowed, nervous. Nervous? She found herself taking steps back, putting more distance between her and him, as though – it felt as though she didn't deserve to be there, in the presence of someone still unstained… Someone so… "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I'm… I'm worried about you, Naruto."

"Sakura-chan…"

She couldn't look up. Not now. Not now… Not after this; years she'd been holding back, keeping it under the perfect façade of faked joy, lodged up some place safe where no prying eyes could see and almost, just almost she'd forgotten it – and hadn't it been for the small girl and her curious eyes looking up at her with anticipation, she would have, possibly, deluded herself entirely about its rightfulness.

About the grief she felt whenever she thought of what Sasuke had caused Naruto. And how Naruto simply… Simply… "I-how… I don't understand how you can stand it. This is so wrong, Naruto, so wrong. He just watches you, day and night, doesn't leave your side at all. It's like he's become your shadow."

A pause.

Her eyes darkened, sown with worry. "He is your shadow."

Naruto didn't reply. He'd gone uncharacteristically quiet, and a certain void now filled the space between them.

"Sakura-chan-"

"I am worried."

He was looking at her.

"I am worried what he can do to you, what he could do to you… Again and again and again, all these things… He-what he did, what he's doing, it's wrong. Naruto, it's wrong-"

A sharp intake of breath – her own, yes – and the presence so looming and foreboding-

"Hello, Sakura."

"Sasuke."

Naruto had spoken. For all her previous intentions and purposes, for all her vigor and fire, for all that and much more, she couldn't have had one part of her capable of speaking at that moment. Frozen, she stood in the spot.

And he stepped into the office, pale face and dark hair gradually revealed as he entered the sun-bathed room, as he slowly passed by her, a figure of immense, stark but despicable beauty and strength.

Sasuke strode over to the table, stopping only a few inches away, blocking Sakura's view, still, silent – then he looked over his shoulder, the eyes smoldering and yet Sakura knew it was not her the gaze was directed at.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Naruto was on his feet, walking around the table, meeting Sasuke at the front.

And he was walking towards Sakura, towards the door, passing her by – completely ignoring her, with Sasuke following a step behind, no more, no less than that.

Sakura's heart, at that precise moment, froze a million times over.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan." From the doorstep his voice carried over to hers, distant and solemn.

Silence wasn't golden. She hated it, she did and-wait. What had happened? Talking one moment, then he appeared and it was all over? … No!

With brute force it was that she snapped herself out of the reverie, with determination it was that she rushed out, chasing after Naruto, eager for more than one mere explanation could offer. She stepped out, brows knitted together in a frown soon to become perpetual, lips smiling the opposite way, the many words on the tip of her tongue. Eventually, she settled for one.

"Wait!"

And there they were; from where she stood, it appeared as if they walked side by side, equality unprecedented, unobtainable by simple means. Naruto's cloak billowed, the hat, for a change, on top of his head. Slowly, they both walked, their backs disappearing into the distance – and she saw Sasuke turn to Naruto; turn and look at him, and even from afar the thing in his eyes couldn't have been mistaken for anything else.

That was how she saw them; Naruto, moving on, determined, Sasuke following silently behind him, never quite by his side, yet not exactly behind him, a look of unquestionable trust, agonizing admiration and painstaking regret in his eyes.

Naruto looked over his shoulder and smiled at Sakura.

"Sorry."

Mouthed.

Then they disappeared behind a corner.

Sakura leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down, eventually hitting the floor. She didn't even realize when her eyes had dried up, didn't even realize when her heart had been torn into shreds.

Didn't realize how she'd not seen it before; that Naruto and Sasuke were each other's most precious person.

~)pagebreak-SoleIsSoul-pagebreak(~

Disclaimed: I don't own Naruto, but the story idea is mine alone.

Rating: PG-13 for themes, blood, swearwords (most of which have yet to make an appearance).

Summary: At twenty two, Naruto has achieved all; a Hokage at last, a man respected and loved, he rules his nation with compassion and understanding, bringing together lost families and friends, and disposing of those that dare oppose his peace. And Sasuke ever-so-faithfully stands by his side, an unchanging status for almost six years, and after these six years, people, villagers, their teachers and friends finally start to ask: "What is happening between Naruto and Sasuke?"

Setting: Six years after the Fourth Ninja War, so all ages have been changed accordingly. Naruto is the Hokage, but how exactly he achieved the status will be revealed step-by-step, along with many other details related to the "rookie nine" and all other characters.

Warning: There will be no OCs, only, perhaps, some OOCness which I'm partial to as anyone else, so that's excusable. Don't go around calling this yaoi, as Sole isn't yaoi… In fact, it's something akin to shounen-ai but not exactly… Okay, in all honesty, I myself don't know yet. The purpose of this story is not to indulge anyone's perverse fantasies involving Sasuke and Naruto, but to elaborate further, perhaps, on the complex relationship-friendship they share as demonstrated in both manga and anime. With that said, I love the pairing, but I'm not promising anything.

Story will contain basic Japanese honorifics, but I'm hoping to avoid any Engrish or anything remotely deformed. So there will be no exclamations of "kawai" or "kakkoi", not even "hai". Should such a thing happen, however, I'll have a translation note added in the A/N.

Vocabulary:

Shishou – master, teacher

- hime – princess

- chan; - san; - sama – you should understand these by now : ) They are all honorifics and I won't be explaining them at all, so I don't even know how… Hey, at least I understand them, no?

Like, dislike? Remember to R&R! Thank you for reading~


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter_One__Re_l**i**sh

"I… I don't think that's how you should arrange the flowers? Not to sound like I'm prying or anything, but-"

"But you are prying," concluded Ino almost happily, her mind obviously far too focused on some matters to care what the hands were doing. Currently, they were manhandling the flowers and should she keep this up, within the next few moments they'd be surely reduced to unusable trash.

But really, Ino was above that at the moment and her eyes the color of sky landed on Sakura's lithe figure leaning inconspicuously against the counter. The shop was quiet this early in the morning and the Yamanaka family wasn't expecting any customers soon. Ino wouldn't be perturbed even if any soul dared enter the store now, possessing a keen sense of urgency in all her deeds that surely the person would flee upon the sight of her and rather come a bit later, when the self-proclaimed beauty wasn't as preoccupied as she was now.

And really, this was for more interesting than making the ends meet.

"Okay, okay. Once more. And then he just walked off? Like that?"

Sakura shot her a glare. "Yes and how many are you going to ask me? I've told you millions of times already-"

"Actually, just four, but that's alright, forehead-girl," interrupted her Ino, subsequently sending a devilish wink in her direction. Sakura fumed and seethed and Ino took a break from her job.

Maybe she was teasing, maybe she was being too cruel, but nothing could deny her the pleasure of the weekly Sakura-teasing session that would commence right upon her arrival to the Yamanaka flower shop every Thursday morning and Friday evening. Besides, it brought back memories.

An apologetic smile was shot in Sakura's direction and Ino forgot about her duties for a while, putting the slightly damaged flowers aside and focusing completely on her dismayed friend.

"Sorry~. Will stop joking now, promise! So… And it troubles you?"

Sakura had calmed down at last, yet still the tender shade of pink matching wonderfully with her hair tinted her cheeks. "Troubles me… Yes, I'd say so. I mean… If you'd only seem them… They looked like a…" She made a vague gesture with her hands and shrugged.

Ino had an inkling something was still eluding her. "You think they are… Um. Um." And despite all her teasing nature, despite the years she'd spent being on the team with two other guys – a thing that ought to have taught her a lesson or two about being straightforward in expressing even her utmost wishes –, she couldn't help but stutter helplessly at what odd thought had crossed her mind then.

Sakura watched her, patient, unsuspecting, and a few moments later, after being left to her incessant worries for way longer than she'd have liked, Ino snapped at last and, in a voice incoherently rapid and overtly loud, shouted with all her might, the word "together".

Then. Silence.

Ino wheezed and blushed, eyes peering up at Sakura with a considerable amount of shame. "You mean… A-are… Um, d'you think they're together? Like… Together together?"

Sakura didn't reply, although the look of horror and embarrassment to gradually overcome her features was a giveaway to her thoughts. Ino watched, sadistically pleased to note her words had this impact on the poor girl's mind. Undoubtedly, she reckoned, Sakura's mind was conjuring all possible scenarios involving Sasuke and Naruto, and it was only a bit later, after Sakura had gone the darkest possible shade of red and stuttered here and there awkwardly, that Ino realized the thought wasn't as amusing as it'd struck her at first.

"No! Ino~… That … So. No! They're… Not. I think. Oh, god. I don't know? I mean, they, um-"-Sakura paused, took a deep breath and launched again into a nonsensical rant full of gasps and groans of disdain and other things. "They weren't holding hands, you know?"

Wistful, Ino smiled. "Not all couples hold hands."

"But they didn't even k-kiss!"

"Not all couples wait to be seen before kissing."

"But they…"

"Well, se-"

"Finish that sentence and die."

Ino laughed sheepishly and lifted her hands in mock resignation. "Okay, okay, sorry for teasing."

Sakura grumbled something quite nasty to herself and Ino was glad for once that she'd not possessed this monstrous strength years ago; to think she could have been literally pummeled to ground… She shuddered.

"I'm serious, Ino. If you'd been there… Besides… Wait. How come you're so cool with it? I mean, you used to crush on Sasuke."

Ino shrugged. "Yes, but that was ages ago."

"So you don't like him anymore?"

"Well, sure, Sasuke still oozes the charisma in waves and, seriously, he's gotten so hot, too. Ah~…" She blushed and fanned herself; it was getting hotter in the room, was it not? "But…" She coughed and narrowed her eyes somewhat, all teasing suddenly completely gone, as if spirited away upon the flashing memory of Sasuke from twelve years. "Yeah, I got over him ages ago."

"Ages ago," echoed Sakura, clearly mistrustful.

Ino stared at her intently. "Fine, fine, so it was just a few years back, actually. Does it matter?"

"But how?"

"How what?"

"How did you get over him? You never gave up before."

"Neither did you, sister."

"That's different…"

"I don't see how or why," said Ino in an elevated voice, prompting a disgruntled groan from Sakura's parted lips.

"Ino…"

"What?"

Sakura was staring, her resolve unwavering.

Ino thought about her reactions for a moment, thinking back to when Sakura had frightfully mentioned them first, how she'd emanated such primal fear that had it been laced with chakra, surely all flowers in the shop would have withered right away. Maybe it was time to take her seriously, to cease the teasing once and for all – or at least until the girl's mood improved, for drastically it was starting to affect her too, that worry creasing Sakura's brows even now.

She looked outside the window, noting the few early risers already walking the streets and chatting softly to one another. And further away in the distance, Naruto's face carved into stone stood, almost identical to his father's and almost beautiful.

"Shikamaru told me."

"… What?"

Ino glanced back at Sakura. "Shikamaru told me to give up on Sasuke."

Sakura looked confused. Ino thought – for good reason.

"Shortly before Naruto was made the next Hokage, Shika, Chouji and I went on a mission to secure the borders. And Shikamaru just pulled me aside suddenly and told me to give up on Sasuke."

"Just like that."

Ino nodded.

Sakura bit down on her lower lip, lost in thought for a moment. "But why would he say that?" she asked after a moment. "And why would you listen to him?"

"You weren't there, Sakura. It was… He never cared before, you know? Always just rolled his eyes, said it was troublesome but otherwise he acted like he couldn't have cared for the world who I liked or not. But then… I don't know. He just came to me, looked me in the eye and… Said it."

Ino closed her eyes.

"_Ino, there's something I need to talk to you about. Listen and don't freak out. Please, give up on Sasuke. Give up on him now. The way he is now, he can't see anyone else. He couldn't even if he tried, I think. He's too deep in it, in… That thing with… Look, please, just listen to me, alright? I know you were hoping to get some time with him alone now that he's been allowed to roam the village freely once more, but there's no point in it. Whatever you do, he can't see you. That thing he has going on with him… Keeps him… Blind. There's no way that Uchiha Sasuke will ever look at you or Sakura that way."_

"_Not when he is around."_

Ino's eyes snapped open. Shikamaru's words echoed ominously in her mind. Suddenly, she was realizing something that had escaped her teetering attention years ago. Suddenly, there were a few words keeping her attention firmly on the matter at hand.

Not so suddenly, she was starting to understand Sakura's worries.

"Who is him?"

Sakura blinked. "What?"

"Shikamaru… He told me, back then, that Sasuke was too deep in that thing with him, that he's got a thing going with him… I never." She paused, frowned and straightened herself out, looking directly into Sakura's eyes, the gradually deepening frown a reflection of her thoughts. "I never thought of it before, I was too angry with him, I think, even if I did listen to him eventually, but now that I think about it… Shikamaru knew."

"_Just trust me on this one, Ino. Please."_

Sakura's eyes widened, resembling saucers the shade of frightened, whitened red. "Of course, Shikamaru is Naruto's advisor, has been for years. Didn't Naruto personally ask him even before he'd been made the Hokage?"

"Yes, he did. I remember Shikamaru being sort of confused about the request, too, I remember him talking to me about it one night and saying he was afraid of what he was getting himself into…"

"_Yeah, I guess it makes sense to ask me. It's practical and Naruto said he considered me a close friend… And the smartest person he knew. Heh, to think one day… One day I'd be… I guess I am scared of it. Of it."_

"Do you… do you think…?"

Ino felt her heart slow down to an eerily quiet pace. "Shikamaru knew. He knew there was something going on between Sasuke and Naruto."

"Or that something had happened between them. Which is why he warned you," concluded Sakura, her voice edgy, crisp.

Ino took in a shuddering gulp of breath and placed her hand on her mouth. "He didn't want me getting between them. But… why… Why… What is-? What are Sasuke and Naruto…?"

"So you understand now."

Somehow, Ino managed to pull herself together and muster up enough of her wits that back on her feet she was again. "You say Sasuke never leaves his side? Okay, that's odd. We're going to investigate."

"We are?"

Sakura looked taken back. Ino thought the girl had still retained some of her naivety from years ago. Gently, she smiled. "We're friends, Sakura, and I'm not leaving you to do this on your own. Besides, Naruto is my friend, too, even if our bond isn't as strong. And he's the Hokage now, so whatever is happening with him concerns us all. And besides~!" Flirtatious, she fluttered her lashes, sensing a small onslaught of heat on her cheeks. "He's gotten very cute and I've been yearning for a moment of privacy with him, if you know what I mean…"

"Ino…" Sakura's brow twitched.

Ino giggled.

Sakura heaved out a sigh of relief and offered Ino a small smile in return. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Of course, you'd get swallowed up in their stupid affairs, which is why you need me. And also because I'm a wonderful friend and you can't imagine your life without me." She winked.

Sakura appeared to look insulted, but Ino could see the words had touched her. Inside, she felt warm and fuzzy, as if no sudden revelation had transpired.

"Thank you."

"Sakura…"

"Thank you, really."

Ino's smile widened. Once again, she blushed, this time for reasons entirely pure. "Shucks, it's alright. That's what I'm here for."

"Yes… Ah!"

"Ah?"

"I'm terrible! I just marched inside and started ranting and forgot to ask you how you were doing. Ah~, I'm such a selfish person," whined Sakura cutely – at least Ino thought so –, her eyes wide and visibly troubled by this shocking discovery.

"Nah, it's cool. You needed to talk about it. I'll talk to Shikamaru about it? Or I could tell him to meet us on the training grounds when he's got the time."

"Latter, but we can talk about that later. So." Sakura laughed, sheepish, blushing, embarrassed. "How are you doing?"

"Me?"

"Yes? Yes."

Ino leaned against the table, head propped by her hand, elbow dug into the flowers she'd previously discarded, a knowing smile on her face.

Then she placed a hand on her stomach and chirped in a happy, in reality completely ecstatic voice: "The _both_ of us are doing fine, Sakura."

"Both…?"

Ino started counting; if this were Shikamaru, he'd get it immediately and that was, probably, his curse, but Sakura apparently needed a lot more time for the reality to sink in, even if she'd always been a bit of a nerd in their young days and had prided herself in being intelligent. Maybe she was growing old, though Ino would never say that out loud, being too happy to be alive and to have her-

"Baby. Oh my god, you are expecting a baby?"

Ino stared. "Louder, wouldn't you? I mean, some people on the other side of the frigging country didn't hear you so well."

Sakura clamped a hand over her mouth, looking dismal. "Oh, gods, sorry. I. This is… Such great news! Congratulations!"

Without further ado, she walked around the table and then Ino found herself embraced tightly by her friend of twenty years, a mass of pink hair in her face. "I'm so happy for you, Ino." And when the friend said this, what else was Ino to do but squeal happily and hug Sakura back just as firmly?

Squeal they both did, mindless of their surroundings, enjoying the moment when their heartbeats synchronized and resounded firmly in their ears.

What felt like hours later, Ino pulled away, blushing furiously, smiling broadly, her heart beating faster and louder than ever before.

Of course, Sakura had to somewhat ruin the moment. "Who's the father?"

"Not telling."

"Is it Shikamaru?"

Ino stared.

Sakura interpreted the silence the wrong way. "Oh my god, it's Shikamaru!"

"What? No! No, it's not."

"Is it Sai?"

Ino stared once more. "Sakura." She looked to her right. Sakura followed her gaze and outside, there were people waiting patiently, watching the exchange wordlessly, but obviously running out of patience.

"Oh… Right. I should get going. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Sure, I'll let you know once I've gotten in touch with Shikamaru."

"Alright."

A few parting words, then Sakura was out.

Ino sighed and welcomed the customer, a boy, who smiled widely at her.

Sakura stuck her head back inside the store, her eyes sparkling with curiosity as they landed on the boy. "Is it him?"

Ino snapped.

"No! And go!"

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

Naruto looked down ahead.

In front of him, the whole village was laid out and from where he stood, it looked so small, puny, almost as if awaiting the moment someone grasped it in their hand and crushed all life inside it. Villagers the size of ants busied here and there and soon they'd all disappear inside their homes, for already the sun was setting down and the village was covered underneath a blanket of red, orange and yellow.

Behind him, Sasuke and Shikamaru stood.

"Kazekage is coming in a week, Hokage-sama."

"Oh, Gaara. Can't wait to see him," he retorted, a big smile on his face.

"All has been prepared already for his arrival. Should I inform the jounins of the changes? "

"Nah, there's still enough time. Besides, I don't think we should fear anything from the Sand."

"Not from the Sand, no, but there are vigilante groups roaming our lands, they could attack and-"

"I'm not afraid." There was no questioning the tone of his voice. Shikamaru sighed. Had it not been for his enhanced senses, Naruto would have overheard it.

Suddenly, Naruto turned to look at his advisor, his smile more radiant than the sun above.

"And don't call me Hokage-sama. How many times do I have to tell you that? "

Shikamaru had probably learned to conceal all surprise he felt whenever Naruto did something out of ordinary, for his face didn't show any emotion at all, nearly as impassive as Sasuke's. But Naruto knew better than that. The man shrugged, hoping to look unperturbed, even if there was a small smile tugging on his features. Naruto watched the struggle for a while, before Shikamaru finally caved in and offered him back that gentle and soothing smile he'd reserved only for their Hokage.

"Fine. Naruto, be careful. You might explicitly trust Gaara, but there are some who'd take advantage of that trust. "

"Telling you, not worried."

"Naruto... "

Naruto thought Shikamaru was getting ready to launch into an explanation about how his actions could inevitably lead to his imminent death, but then, for the first time since Shikamaru's arrival hours ago, Sasuke moved. He didn't start talking, didn't even look at the advisor, merely stepping forward by a few inches as if to remind them of his looming presence, but Shikamaru seemed to take it as a warning, for afterwards, he spoke no more. Or maybe an understanding, a silent agreement had passed between the two, one they'd not tell Naruto about even if he was rightfully their lord, master and someone to know it all.

Really, some friends he had.

"I should get going. Ino wants to meet me."

Naruto smiled at him lewdly. "Ohhh, Ino-chan? Shikamaru, you animal!"

Shikamaru had the dignity to look ashamed. "It's not like that, Naruto. Ino and Sakura want to talk to me about something."

Implications clear, and Naruto didn't react. "Eh? Any idea about what?"

"Yes, actually."

"Yeah?"

Shikamaru turned around. "What you told me." Slowly, he started walking away. Naruto watched his retreating back, not speaking at all, not even once Shikamaru had completely disappeared, not only much later, when the evening wind ruffled his hair, stroked his cheeks.

When Konoha looked red-laden and bloodied, Naruto turned to glance at it once more, his cloak and hair billowing, perfectly susceptible to the wind's play. This silence, this was golden.

Naruto's eyes closed, the red behind his eyelids blinding him momentarily. "We're alone." And the magic started its work.

Sasuke stepped over, the distance between them greatly diminished to almost nothing, their hands brushing here and there, the warmths of their bodies intertwined.

"He is right, some people aren't so fond of your peace."

"Not from Konoha, no?"

"No, no-one in Konoha would dare betray you." In his tone lay a warning and the unspoken "they better" lingered in the air.

Naruto opened his eyes. "Yeah."

"They are getting curious."

"Meh... That doesn't mean anything."

"Gaara might realize."

Naruto looked at Sasuke from the corner of his eyes. "Don't tell me you're getting nervous."

Sasuke stared back. "No." He paused. "Not after all this time."

"Shikamaru won't say a thing, and Sakura-chan and Ino-chan won't figure it out."

"They might need a Hyuuga."

"Nah... Hinata and Neji haven't figured out a thing... No-one in the class has, in fact. "

"For now."

Naruto groaned. "Jeez, Sasuke, you're being such a debbie downer."

"I don't appreciate what you just said."

"Oh-ho, was that Uchiha Sasuke joking? Oh! Is that Uchiha Sasuke smiling?"

"No."

Naruto got up close and personal, standing slightly bent over in front of Sasuke, his face a mere inch from Sasuke's, beaming mischievously, sparkling vividly and teasing with one look only. "You are. Tee-hee. Sasuke is smiling. Smiling~! And for who? Me~."

"Naruto... Stop it."

"What? No. Sasuke, stop being a debbie downer. Admit it, I make you smile." He pouted. Sasuke placed a hand on his chest, as if fixing to apply pressure soon and shove Naruto away, but when no such thing happened and Naruto's face remained just that one, pathetic inch from his, Naruto's smile disappeared. No more words spilled from his mouth as he stared into Sasuke's face.

Impassive, they called it even now. Standoffish his behavior. But with him, his Sasuke was different. His Sasuke was warm and tender, smiling like he did now, because everyone in the village reserved that something special for their Hokage-sama and Uchiha Sasuke was no exception.

His smile may have been almost insignificant, almost non-existent, on the verge of becoming extinct, already so endangered, but Naruto didn't care. Sasuke's hand slid upwards, trailing over the skin on his neck, to the golden tresses that still but at mercy of the wind floated here and there, completely ensnared by its whimsical wishes. It rested there, deeply buried in the hair, and force was applied only now to press Naruto's face closer.

Closer and closer.

Until their noses brushed, the foreheads touched.

Then his Sasuke closed his eyes and Naruto realized he'd done the same thing when Sasuke's hand had first touched him.

"You do. But only you."

Encompassed in that simple gesture were millions of others and pain so deep that Naruto felt himself lose all coherent speech.

The sun illuminated their figures. Reflected on the ground their shadows mirrored with unhindered precision all they did.

The silhouettes neared and then, not to be disturbed, melted together, connected.

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

Shikamaru wouldn't say he was glaring daggers at Kakashi, but according to Sakura's previous discontented muttering, it appeared as such. He sighed and put his hands in his pockets, nonchalant.

"So what is he doing here again?"

"Oh, never mind me, I was just taking a walk and saw you standing here so quietly, so I decided to check on my favorite ex-students and see how you were doing," replied Kakashi happily, his only visible eye smiling in what Shikamaru assumed to be serenity and peace embodied. Really, the man hadn't changed at all since their first meeting, at least not blatantly so; he reckoned Sakura and Naruto would know more about any significant changes, yet whether the presumed would be revealed any time soon remained a mystery never to unravel, for Sakura and Ino exchanged a knowing look and proceeded with ignoring Kakashi's presence.

"Kakashi-sensei can stay, it concerns him too."

"Oh, does it? And what would you children be conspiring about? Ah..."

Only now did Shikamaru commit to an act known as glaring; at twenty-two they were still referred to as children. The chances were, always they'd be known as the rookie nine, even if many new generations of rookie nine and other numbers had arisen since their days in academy. Annoying, but... Mostly, it was just-

"Troublesome."

Kakashi smiled at him. Probably. With that mask, one could never tell what faces he was really making, but Sakura didn't question at all. Instead, she shot Shikamaru a grave look, her expression gaining on a heavily contrasted quality, as if the thoughts fighting for supremacy had reached the surface of her ever-so-youthful face, now reflecting clearly all that chaos residing inside.

"So why have you lot gathered here?"

"It's important, Kakashi-sensei."

"No doubt about that. Although you're missing other members of the rookie nine," he said, as if he'd read Shikamaru's thoughts of distaste regarding the nickname. Shikamaru sighed then. He really didn't want to this now.

"They... We might call them later. But for now, it's just the four of us. Well, three but... Alright. There's something Ino and I need to ask Shikamaru."

"Oh, wait. Sakura, let me guess? It concerns Naruto."

"Ka... Kakashi-sensei? How did you...?"

"And let me guess once more. It concerns Naruto _and_ Sasuke."

Not even Ino managed to keep her cool; gaping like a fish, she only managed one meek "What...?", before shutting her mouth and seemingly opting for blissful silence. Perphaps, she was relying on someone else to answer all the questions for her. Perhaps.

"Kakashi-sensei, how did you know?" asked Sakura.

"Well, I have eyes, you know."

Ah... Okay. Shikamaru really, really didn't want to this. Not now, not tomorrow, not later, preferably not at all, but with the merry little group of three jounins staring him – with the intensity and emotion of their gazes ranging from the anxiety-laden looks of scorn from Sakura, and expectant curiosity almost like a child's from Ino, to a mask of dispassionate placidity exhibited as per usual by none other than Kakashi –, he apparently had no other choice but to address it swiftly now.

He sighed. Deeply, terribly, tiredly. Oh, what he'd do for a little session of cloud-gazing without the pesky presence of anyone else, but the cigarette stuck between his lips to keep him company. He could watch the smoke drift away from its flaring tip and float towards the sky, where joyfully, as he always imagined, it would join its brethren and be spirited away to a land of wispy clouds and ever-lasting peace.

"Shikamaru, what do you know?"

Ah, peace... Quiet. Actually, quiet would be much appreciated now.

"Oi, Shikamaru."

Right... In his dreams. Idly, he glanced at Ino. "What do you want to know?"

"Sasuke and Naruto. Tell us all you know."

"I don't know anything, you guys."

Ino and Sakura stared at him. Maybe he shouldn't have agreed to meet them past curfew, because the darkness of the forest looming closely was giving him the goosebumbs, and because girls tended to be rather violent, mostly when denied their... ah, rightful... rights.

"Ah-ha, you were always terrible at lying, Shikamaru. You know the truth."

"I can't tell you anything about them."

"So there is a them. I see, I see."

This time, everyone looked at Ino. Girls and their logic, who knew what terrible discovery her mind had just revealed to her, although... Never mind, he probably already knew.

"Ino, I don't think that's a..."

"No, no. Shikamaru. Tell me. Tell us." Ino stepped closer to him. Shikamaru considered just bolting – or walking away in a manly way, as Kiba would proudly announce, because there was only so much pressure from girls he could stand without getting awkward, and there was only so much of Ino's fantasies his mind could deal with.

"What?"

Ino took a deep breath, her face a healthy shade of red visible even underneath the darkness of the night shrouding her figure. Above them, the moon shone brightly, as if determined to portray with poetic precision each emotion to appear even briefly in their eyes. Shikamaru looked Ino in the eye, dubious about her intentions, but, somehow, curious at the same time.

"Naruto and Sasuke," she started slowly, her breathing a bit elevated, almost jumping from... Wait, was that-? Oh, no... Not _that_. "Did they elope?"

Silence.

Shikamaru's hand connected with his head in the gesture widely known and accepted as the _face-palm_.

"I think you're confusing the terms here; if they'd eloped, they would have physically left Konoha and-"

"Bah, details. Fine. Let's cut to the slack then," she bellowed, jovial. From the corner of his eyes, Shikamaru noticed that Kakashi had opted for staring pointedly in the other direction, and despite that he could swear there shone a gleam of unbidden interest in his eye.

_Not you, too, Kakashi-sensei..._

"Are they having s-"

"Ino!"

"-together. Um, are they together?"

Sakura was huffing, breathing heavily, and Ino staring, inspecting his face for any changes, ignoring Sakura's previous outburst.

Shikamaru couldn't help himself. Instead of replying, he reached inside his pocket and moments later, he was lighting a cigarette, careless of what reactions the action would beg.

"Shikamaru... I thought you'd quit." The tone, not accusatory at all! A sigh.

"For a while," he replied slowly, blowing the smoke in the air and taking a little relish in the nicotine gradually reaching his bloodstream. But then, before the brain had even the time to send signals to his body and inform it of the substance taking effect, a foreboding presence snapped it out of its reverie and then the body was automatically moving away, dodging the incoming attack from – where? –, the cigarette hanging loosely between his lips, the smoke being the only thing to remain on the spot where he'd been standing moments ago.

Startled, he started at Sakura. "What the...? What was that for?"

Sakura's vein was bulging, pulsating threateningly on her forehead. "You idiot! You can't smoke around Ino now, not in the state she is-"

"_Sakura._"

"... Ah, oh."

... Alright. This was, well-... "You're pregnant?" A rhetorical question by all means, as he already knew the answer. It explained why Ino had been acting so profane around him whenever he'd happened to light a cigarette, at least. Among other things.

It was Sakura who replied, but rather than stick to words, she decided to express her opinion using brute, unparalleled strength. This time, Shikamaru didn't even protest as she rounded on him, swiftly grabbing him by his clothes and pulling her face dangerously close to his.

"_Shi-ka-ma-ru_. How dare you act like this when Ino's bearing your child?"

"Wha-oh." Past his lips the residual smoke from his lungs had left, caressing with fake passion Sakura's face.

Non-smokers didn't appreciate getting smoke directly in their faces, and Shikamaru just sighed, almost resigned to his fate as this close up, he could see all the veins on Sakura's face twitch angrily. Behind her, a rather loving scene was unfolding between Kakashi and Ino.

"Ah, so you're pregnant. Congratulations," Kakashi was saying pleasantly.

"Thank-you," Ino was replying just-as-pleasantly.

"When's the child due?"

"Oh, a while. Seven months."

"I see, I see. Well, I'm happy for you."

"Thank-you, I'm happy, too."

Then they smiled at each other cutely, a picture moment no doubt, and if Shikamaru didn't already know who the father was, he'd be very inclined to think Kakashi himself had partaken in a particular activity with Ino. If only Sakura wasn't attempting to throttle him, all would be alright. Already, his skin was starting to turn a disgusting blueish hue, and the shaking wasn't doing him any good, either, for how was he think of the clouds above and enjoy his last cigarette when the world kept spinning around?

"Hm, I think Sakura is trying to kill Shikamaru."

"Right, right, on it! Oh, Sakura-_chan_? Shikamaru really isn't the father, so please stop before you really kill him," chirped Ino sweetly, looking extremely happy with herself for one reason or another, as Shikamaru absently noted, but then he had no time to think as at once Sakura released him and the sudden force of the action left him frozen mid-way to being shaken backwards for a split second, before all laws of physics conspired against him with success-

-sending him flying down on the ground.

"Sakura, you should really control your strength."

"What? Hmp!" she scoffed. "He's still alive, isn't he?"

"Yes..."

_So even Kakashi-sensei can't control his own students_, thought Shikamaru, bitter. But at least he was resting once more and the position he'd landed in offered him a most splendid view on the stars shining above, enough that for a brief moment he forgot gladly about his aching back or the rock digging into his thigh – or the fact the Hokage's advisor had been handled like a sack of potatoes by a _girl_ and hadn't yet found the strength to move.

Really, that was so...

"So troublesome."

"But you deserve it, you know?"

Tired, Shikamaru moved his eyes on Ino who now stood above him with hands on her hips and a few golden strands of hair shielding the right side of her face. He reckoned she'd taken advantage of the incriminating situation he'd found himself in, and truly he could easily read the wickedness gleaming bright and clear in her eyes, suggesting something most devilish had occurred to her.

_Oh, lord..._

"So, Shikamaru. Are you going to tell us?"

"Tell you what?"

"Don't play dumb," she tutted, waving a pointy finger warningly from side to side. "It doesn't suit you and, 'sides, you know very well what I'm talking about. So, here's the situation; you either spill the beans or I accidentally burst into tears and tell Sakura you really are the daddy."

_... Oh. Lord._

"Ino." A frown creased his features. "You can't be serious."

She grinned. "Oh, Sakura~!"

"Fine. Ugh." Though he closed his eyes next, not wishing to see the victory in hers, he was certain her grin had widened to make up most of her face.

With a certain amount of difficulty, he moved to stand up and Ino happily bounced over to the other two where she joined them in curious staring and bewildered... staring. Alright, Kakashi did neither, but somehow he looked so right with both girls by either side, like it was his fate or like Shikamaru had hit his head too hard, for only that could excuse the strange direction his thoughts had taken.

"Ah, that reminds me... Kakashi-sensei, how did you know?" asked Sakura.

Ino snorted. "Better yet, how long has he known?"

Kakashi couldn't have looked more bored. "I have eyes."

"That doesn't explain anything..."

"Not in the sense you think," he added as an afterthought. "But we're not here to listen to my explanations. Let's leave that for later and assume until then that I have my reasons for being suspicious of the current situation."

Sakura seemed to mutter something under her breath that sounded a lot like "stupid Kakashi-sensei", but Shikamaru liked to think her thoughts wouldn't stoop to that level. Tired of the situation already and thinking he'd rather get this over with, he coughed and three pairs of eyes landed on his figure.

"So." Lazily, he flicked the ash off his cigarette and placed it between his lips. The smoke drifted into the air, curling around his face in thick tendrils. Maybe, there was just something about the gesture, because, suddenly, no-one was protesting any longer, complaining about him taking his sweet time or speaking at all. In fact, all had gone dead silent and Shikamaru exhaled, the smoke leaving his lips in wispy clouds, and continued.

"What do you want to know?"

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

"Here. See? We get him here. He's meeting the other Kage. No problem."

The other nodded, then frowned. "The Sharingan will be there too."

"I wouldn't be too worried about him. Many people don't trust him yet and he won't be allowed to attend the meeting between Kages."

"And you're so sure of that because?"

It could have been past midnight. All was covered in darkness, all still and asleep for the time being, but despite that, when he smiled, their surroundings seemed to shift to accommodate the situation, to emphasize the sheer, unadulterated wickedness of his smile, the wanton lust in his eyes.

"His cute little crush on the Kage will make sure that. He won't be bothered by him or anyone else when they're meeting. And when they are alone, we strike." His hand balled into a fist.

The fingers, the nails, dug deeply into the flesh; blood cascaded down his skin. Dripped down onto the grass below.

"Then we kill him."

"And then we crush them."

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

Disclaimed: I don't own Naruto, but the story idea is mine alone.

Rating: PG-13 for themes, blood, swearwords (most of which have yet to make an appearance).

Summary: At twenty two, Naruto has achieved all; a Hokage at last, a man respected and loved, he rules his nation with compassion and understanding, bringing together lost families and friends, and disposing of those that dare oppose his peace. And Sasuke ever-so-faithfully stands by his side, an unchanging status for almost six years, and after these six years, people, villagers, their teachers and friends finally start to ask: "What is happening between Naruto and Sasuke?"

Setting: Six years after the Fourth Ninja War, so all ages have been changed accordingly. Naruto is the Hokage, but how exactly he achieved the status will be revealed step-by-step, along with many other details related to the "rookie nine" and all other characters.

Warning: There will be no OCs, only, perhaps, some OOCness which I'm partial to as anyone else, so that's excusable. Don't go around calling this yaoi, as Sole isn't yaoi… In fact, it's something akin to shounen-ai but not exactly… Okay, in all honesty, I myself don't know yet. The purpose of this story is not to indulge anyone's perverse fantasies involving Sasuke and Naruto, but to elaborate further, perhaps, on the complex relationship-friendship they share as demonstrated in both manga and anime. With that said, I love the pairing, but I'm not promising anything.

Story will contain basic Japanese honorifics, but I'm hoping to avoid any Engrish or anything remotely deformed. So there will be no exclamations of "kawai" or "kakkoi", not even "hai". Should such a thing happen, however, I'll have a translation note added in the A/N.

A/N: Story should pick up after a while : ) I have most of it planned out already. I have to say, all these conversations are very important for the actual plot and I consider them dynamic, significant for story development, so bear with me.

_In next chapter, you find out what Shikamaru told them, what Kakashi really knows and why he was there, what Hinata thinks of the situation, what Gaara and Naruto have to talk about and who has their eyes set on harming the Kage. All to figure out why Naruto and Sasuke are each other's most precious person and unravel their secret._

Thank you for reading, please R&R!


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter_Two__Re_gr**e**t

_Because he had to do it and he simple had to, because there was the choice he'd made and he wouldn't change his mind even if the fool protested so, because he was the lone survivor of the massacre and because it was his right, duty, destiny and decision to do-because-_

_-because he-_

"_Sasuke…"_

_-because… he'd not know, not thought of it before. Had wanted to do it, yes, had earned for it and he'd never admit it out loud, that the thought had haunted him in his dreams, but he'd never… Never ever…_

"_Sasuke… it's alright…"_

_No, he'd not… Never before thought of it and why… why… It was just… Pre-destined, was it? No, no! He'd made the choice himself, grasped the destiny in his hands and no being above stood to watch over his life, none but him decided what was to transpire next, he was certain of that._

_Of course… Simple as that, no?_

_No, he-"-ight… it's alright…"_

"_You…"_

_He knew, of course, comprehended fully, what he'd done, caused and wrought, that havoc, but maybe, just maybe, a part of him had remained blissfully ignorant, a decision opted without his accord, to the reality, to the thing… That small, puny detail that, perhaps, but just perhaps, the blood of his, so hot, trailing down his arm wouldn't feel as delectable as he'd thought._

_Tear-strained. Vicious. So, so sad. "Naruto."_

_At that dead, dying friend._

"_Naruto…"_

_At those gentle, soothing eyes._

_Slipping close, the soul – the strength, vivacious once upon a time – vanishing into nothingness._

_No._

"Naruto… I hate you."

Sasuke's eyes snapped open.

_That dream again…_

And slipped close once more, like his a long time ago.

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

Kakashi eyed the man before him with perturbing nonchalance that Yamato had not learned to appreciate even after many years.

"Ah, Yamato, how did your last mission go?" he asked and leaned against the railing. From the top of the building, he had a nice view on the city, yet that still paled in comparison to one so splendorous offered from the top of the mountain. Not that he'd been there. Somehow, an air of scrutiny lingered there. Kakashi suspected why, but the thought disturbed him.

"Kakashi-senpai," greeted Yamato, head inclined to the side in a respectful, small bow. "It went well, thank you for asking. I haven't seen you on any missions lately."

"Ah, our Hokage-sama doesn't like me gone," he replied softly and almost chuckled. Would Yamato notice the affection for their Hokage in his voice? Unlikely.

Yamato stepped closer, body leaning against the railing to mirror Kakashi. "Doesn't he? I thought he'd use you more."

"Ah, Yamato, that sounded wrong."

"What, I-"

"Joking, of course." He smiled. Yamato frowned. He was so easy… "Our Hokage-sama wants to keep me close for now."

"Delegation from the Sand, right? I heard Gaara was coming."

"Right, you were gone quite a while, so you missed a number of things."

"Such as?"

"Such as the change of plans."

"What happened?"

Kakashi looked towards the Monument; Yamato was sharp, had always been, and despite all his teasing and joking, he couldn't help but thank, in a way, the twisted perversions of Orochimaru for though most had failed, one experiment had survived and paddled his way through life with such terrifying and cool precision that, honestly, Kakashi didn't know how the children would have been handled without Yamato's leadership. After all, he himself couldn't have always stood by them… Not. Physically.

"Well, our Hokage got a bit impatient, said he didn't feel like waiting another month to see Gaara and since he can't visit him whenever he wants, given his status, he decided to speed up the things a little. So Gaara's coming in a week," he concluded happily, fondly, reminiscing.

Unfortunately, Yamato didn't share his sentiments. "What-? What… Aah, Naruto," he moaned, clearly unhappy. Kakashi's smile widened.

"Shikamaru did the same thing."

"See, not even Shikamaru can change his mind."

"No-one can. But all has been taken care of already and Naruto is getting very ecstatic already. Just yesterday,"-he paused and his expression darkened, a change that Yamato, despite the mask Kakashi wore, recognized instantaneously, "I saw him chatter Sasuke's mind away with how he's looking forward to meeting Gaara."

Yamato hands curled around the railing. "Sasuke wasn't happy, I bet."

Kakashi blinked and looked towards Yamato. "Naruto probably didn't see it, but Sasuke was obviously angry."

"Naruto never sees it."

"No."

"Hm… Maybe he is…?"

"Ignoring it? Who knows. But,"-another pause, one just as meaningful as the previous, and Kakashi barely contained the frustration he'd been feeling for the past weeks,-"wouldn't that make the things a lot more complicated?"

"Precisely. If Naruto knows and he's not doing anything about it, it means something else is at game here," commented the man, the tone of his voice portraying exactly Kakashi's thoughts.

Kakashi sighed. "And we don't know what the game is."

"No… "

Yamato looked troubled. Kakashi wondered if it bothered the man so much the emotion would show on his usually dispassionate face, but suspected his own, should anyone unmask it, would reveal the same.

"Did you get anything out of Shikamaru?" asked Yamato after a moment and Kakashi shook his head.

"Sakura and Ino suspect something."

"Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino? How is that related?"

"Sakura and Ino finally figured something was amiss. I suspect it started yesterday, actually, right after I'd left Naruto's office. Hm. Naruto's office, eh?"

"What?"

"Nothing." Fondness. That was the sensation called, eh? Despite his best wishes, he smiled. "Takes some time getting used to it…"

Yamato's eyes narrowed briefly, before understanding dawned on him and the look of dispassion supposedly perpetually etched into his features dissolved to take on the form of passion. Subtle, teasing, yet all the while present and so, so strangely prominent.

"I know what you mean."

"You do, huh?"

_Fondness, indeed._

"Point being, Sakura figured something out, told Ino and, apparently, Ino remembered something that Shikamaru had mentioned to her years ago."

"Years ago? But that would mean-"

"Yes." He paused. The look of passion on Yamato's face – gone, spirited away, altogether replaced by placated fright.

Kakashi's eyes traveled automatically to land on Naruto's face carved in the stone ahead. Majestic, simple, beautiful. To think past years would change so much…

"That means Shikamaru has known from the very beginning."

"That's not good; the situation's far more complicated than we'd initially thought."

"And it's getting worse. With Sakura and Ino knowing, it's only a matter of time before others from the rookie nine find out. And then…"

"Did Shikamaru reveal anything?"

"Ah, about that… Ino and Sakura arranged a meeting with him."

"And you happened to be there."

Kakashi smiled. "Of course. A conveniently arranged stroll."

"Meaning you were spying on them and they found out."

Kakashi didn't smile. "… Yes. Point being." He turned to face Yamato. "The girls cornered Shikamaru, but… What he said wasn't all that they'd expected."

Yamato's brows rose to meet the hairline, the eyes boring into Kakashi's, expectant.

All Kakashi could do, was unwillingly recall the happenings from just a few hours ago, when shrouded beneath the cover of darkness, Shikamaru had, in one way or another, imposed a myriad of questions far more troubling than the one they'd hoped to surprise him with, and erased thus, without doubt, any feelings of mistrust any might have ever felt about the situation.

For more than anything else, his actions sufficed as a proof to Kakashi, that-

"_What do you want to know?"_

_Sakura stepped forward. "Tell us everything. Everything you know."_

"_See." Shikamaru sighed. "I can't do that."_

"_Eh? Shikamaru! You promised us-"_

"_I did no such thing."_

_Odd. Kakashi narrowed his eyes; just moments ago, he'd been in perfect compliance with their wishes, acting as if he'd rather spill even his darkest secrets just to done with it. And now, suddenly, with the entire charade gone, he looked exactly like the man acting from the shadows. _

"_Shikamaru, you-"_

"_Rather, I couldn't tell you even if I wanted."_

"_Er…"_

"_Rather… I don't want to. So this is plan B for me." He stood up from the ground, the cigarette dangling lifelessly between his thumb and index finger, a far greater shadow cast on his face than moments ago, because those pathetic, few moments ago, he'd really appeared resigned, deceitfully __so, yet now – now, without a moment for doubt, Kakashi would be compelled – more than anything else – to believe that Shikamaru would rather enjoy the last drag from his cigarette, however short or long, than reveal anything to them. _

_And as it appeared, it was far from over._

_Just as Sakura made a threatening step forward, muscles flexing, just as Ino gritted her teeth, as if still suppressing any signs of anger – fearful, perhaps, for the safety of her unborn child –, Shikamaru stuck out his tongue._

_There, dark and bold, stood the seal._

"_Plan B."_

_Bewildered, Ino stepped aside. At a loss of words, Sakura froze._

_Kakashi's mind reeled. _

"_Naruto put a seal on you?"_

_And reeled some more. "I don't think Naruto would ever do that to anyone, Sakura."_

"_But-"_

"_Kakashi is right." Shikamaru had returned once more to his cigarette. "Naruto wouldn't." He paused, took a deep drag from the cigarette, confined the smoke inside for the painstakingly long time, then exhaled, looking calculating, bored-"I did it myself."_

_-and cut with precision. Meticulous. Sound._

"_I asked Naruto to place the seal on me. It was my personal request and I had my reasons for doing it. One was to avoid situations like this one, and another to avoid ever slipping a word to anyone. I suppose this answers your question in a way, but I won't say more. Can't say."_

"_Wouldn't say even if you could," echoed Kakashi, hardly even trying to conceal the look in his eyes; it was all for Shikamaru to see and enjoy, that resentment towards it that Kakashi felt._

_Shikamaru looked him in the eye. The cigarette tip flared to life one last time, before put out carelessly against the tender skin on his palm. The man didn't even flinch._

"_Are you really that afraid you'd be betraying Naruto?" _

"_Naruto… entrusted me with his secrets. I'm not privileged to share any of them. I can't betray him. Not as his advisor, not as his close friend, not as someone that…"_

"_Loves him?" _

_All eyes landed on Sakura, whose eyes were wide with fear, as if someone had finally revealed the truth behind everything and now, confronted with reality as it was, lacking the pink-glasses, the pink rose garden, the pink that suited her so, she tried so hard to come in terms with the loss of all that she'd known._

_Only, she was doing a job terrible at it._

_Shikamaru smiled. A rare, gentle smile, reserved only for their Hokage._

"_If there's one thing being around Naruto has taught me, then it's the importance of bonds. I want to protect the bond he has. With… With us, with everyone. What he gave us is so much more than we could have ever hoped for, but I don't think… He's still… So alone. Sakura, would you protect that bond of you could?"_

"_What…?"_

"_Shikamaru… you're not making any sense at all… Right, Kakashi-sensei? Um… Kakashi-sensei?"_

_Ino's inquiring eyes, Sakura's curious gaze… Were lost on him, for as he pierced Shikamaru through and through with his eyes, he was realizing something. Important, big as it was, still he couldn't grasp it, still its meaning eluded him perfectly, still the shadow-user stood before him posed a mystery of such tremendous power that all his years, all his days and weeks, all the underneath he'd found underneath, all were so useless._

_Against him, protected by Naruto's shadow, all was rendered useless._

"_See, you don't understand, not just yet. I do. Maybe it's for best that you don't know, maybe you will eventually find out. I know your resolve, so I'm sure you'll keep trying, but this is something you have to do without my help. I'm not betraying you or anyone. We're still on the same team, only me… Well, whereas you're just trying to figure out where we're going, I'm already there. And while I'm there, I'll do my best to protect his bonds. At the moment… It's all I can do. Heh." Curse that sad, bitter smile. "After all, what we wouldn't do for our Hokage-sama, eh? Out of love, respect. It's all we can do… For him."_

_He turned away. No-one tried to stop him. _

_No-one could have._

_Shikamaru looked over his shoulder, as it to affirm the presumed effect of his words, and when all he saw was, as Kakashi assumed, confusion mingled beautifully with tidbits of trial and error, he walked on._

_Only his parting words remained._

"_Please, understand."_

-that… That they knew nothing at all.

Yamato gaped at him like a fish. A pity, for had the situation been any different, Kakashi would have reveled in the puzzlement on the man's face; it looked almost adorable.

"Aahh… I don't understand. Kakashi-senpai, what did Shikamaru mean?"

"Hm. I can only guess, but my guess would be the same as yours; that Naruto had entrusted Shikamaru with the truth and Shikamaru, knowing a moment like this one would come, had in turn requested to have the seal placed on him to avoid ever saying a word to anyone. I don't think Shikamaru considers himself a snitch, though, so this makes me believe the secrets he's keeping are far bigger than himself. Hence the seal. Otherwise, I see no reason why he'd subject himself to such a thing."

"This is… Getting really complicated. To think we only suspected Sasuke of…" Yamato didn't finish his sentence. Kakashi understood; hours he'd had to think it all through, hours that he'd spent lying awake, completely at a mercy to the world, trying with all his might to solve the ridicule getting ridiculous.

All for naught.

_Genius, eh…_

The sun shone down on him. Early in the morning, the start of a new day, and he'd sleep his way to the next month if he could.

"I don't like this. We'd thought even before Shikamaru was involved, but only because of his status as Naruto's advisor, nothing else. This further complicates the things. Now we can't be sure what exactly we're dealing with, only that it concerns both Sasuke in Naruto in… possibly a very intimate way, that Shikamaru had willingly subjected himself to the seal and that…"

"That." Kakashi couldn't pass up the opportunity; the grand finale, if nothing else, was completely his. "It's all related to the day six years ago when Naruto and Sasuke were the only ones unaffected by Madara's jutsu."

Kakashi pushed himself off the railing, walking away. Yamato's voice stopped him just before he reached the door.

"Kakashi-senpai… After Madara used the jutsu, everyone was affected, everyone fell under its effects, only Naruto and Sasuke… What do you think happened between Naruto and Sasuke while we all were unconscious?"

_What happened, huh…_

Kakashi considered himself a genius, he truly did. He knew he could figure out most issues with ease that, when he was feeling awfully confident of himself, he'd even announce with little hesitation to the world, but currently, he was at loss. In fact, when he'd first woken up those six years ago in the middle of the nowhere, surrounded from all sides by people in a similar state of mind, with moans and groans of discontent and confusion spreading around faster than disease, he'd not understood at all what he was looking at. At that moment, he'd blamed his incoherent mind for it, thinking clarity with time with do him good, but even now as he looked back, even now he did not understand why the scenery had depicted Sasuke cradling the lifeless, bloodied body of Naruto in his arms.

And Sasuke almost crying.

He reached out, hand curled around the handle, the door swung open.

"That's something we need to find out…"

What he didn't enjoy at all, was how his thoughts immediately went to the unspoken words of "before it's too late".

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

Sakura was hiding something from her. So was Ino, so was everyone else. Every time she inquired about him, they'd avert their eyes and fake interest in the ground beneath and though a shy, soft-spoken person by nature, it didn't necessarily render her stupid. Which was why Hinata was growing a bit infuriated with her peers, though certainly she'd never reveal it to them.

Besides, if they were hiding it from her, maybe they knew what they were doing?

Hinata glanced at the clock and-"Oh… Oh! Oh, no! Ahhh! I'm late!" she bellowed, a deep shade of red painted over her cheeks. Next to her, her father looked up, surprised, and Hinabi used the opportunity to strike.

Naïve yet she was, and swiftly, without even having to look at her, the man deflected her attack, sending her crashing to the ground where she remained, stunned, ashamed and, as Hinata reckoned, even slightly angry.

"I'm supposed to be meeting Tsunade-sama," Hinata explained, the voice characteristically soft, for she did feel slightly at fault and, apparently, Hinabi thought the same, as she'd opted for glaring at her pointedly.

"Hinata, this is unlike you," spoke her father, stepping away from the training grounds in the Hyuuga main house and clasping his hands behind his back. "You've been rather distracted as of lately."

"I'm so-sorry," she muttered, eyes cast at her own feet, her heart beating wildly. "I've had a lot on my mind recently. And I-I need to go. Tsunade-sama is waiting for me."

He nodded. "Go. You're expected."

She nodded back and rushed away – but still managed to catch him chastise her younger sister, for, as he claimed, failing to disarm her opponent while he was distracted was a terrible mistake, one she ought to have taken care of years ago. Hinata's brows knitted together as she fought the desire to feel utmost guilt and before her past self could catch up to her, she bolted, running past the other Hyuugas in the household and rushing out.

At noon, the streets were equally busy and the village swarming with life. It brought a small smile to her face, but as she remembered what hurry had forced her to leave, she shook herself from the stupor and, sending a swirl of chakra in her feet, abandoned the ground below, sent flying in the sky – subsequently landing on one of the nearby rooftops.

"Late, late, late, late, late!" she chanted to herself, the panic raising. Ah, Tsunade-sama had promised to help her with chakra control, which, though already perfect for her age, still needed some tweaking here and there. And to think she'd be late over an hour…

"Ahhhh, Tsunade-sama is going to kill me," she cried, shutting her eyes close – but still successfully avoiding hitting the wall. She ran around it, jumping from one rooftop to another, searching the surroundings for the hospital where, surely, the big-breasted woman stood waiting, such tremendous anger oozing off her in waves that no-one dared approach her.

So if she accidentally killed someone, it'd be Hinata's fault only.

_Nooo…_

So focused she was, so busy thinking of all the possible excuses to tell the woman, she didn't notice the movement – until a bright flash to her right snapped her out of her reverie. Her senses tingled, the muscles retracting painfully, the Byakugan appearing by default – and she stopped and prepared to fight the person should the situation call for it, but then another flash – bright, bright and yellow – and immediately, her body posture relaxed and Hinata felt her breath hitch in her throat.

The words came spilling from her lips before she could stop herself. "Naruto-kun."

The man whom they loved and cherished halted. His back turned to her, she couldn't see his face at all, and maybe she'd interrupted him, but before she could further indulge herself in her whimsical worries, he turned to face her, his eyes blue like the skies wide and innocent-

-then he was on her, his hand clasped tightly around her mouth, the other on his mouth, the finger pressed against his lips, a low, humming sound coming from his throat.

"Shhhh… Before they hear you," he whispered.

Hinata blinked and – oh, gods, he was so close and he smelled so nice and-what. Against his hand, she muffled something incomprehensible, but then from somewhere below on the streets she heard two panicky voices.

"Hokage-sama!"

"Hokage-sama!"

"Have you seen Hokage-sama?"

"Not him, no. Ah, where could he have gone?"

"Hokage-sama! We know you're here somewhere… around. Please, you need to sign the documents."

"Hokage-sama!"

Then both voices in unison shouted his name and went silent. Hinata picked up on soft, aggravated muttering and both advisors soon disappeared. Naruto released her and peeked over the edge of the building, watching their retreating figures as she assumed and when they turned around the corner, he grinned and turned to her.

"Ah, Hinata-chan, that was close."

"Naruto-kun is running from his duties," she murmured worriedly but Naruto remained resistant to any such trivial matters.

"Che, the old farts are boring anyway. I'm the Hokage, I should be protecting the village, helping folks, doing missions, not sitting there and reviewing some stupid documents. Bah!" Frustrated, he messed with his hair. Hinata watched the scene with fondness and lo-

"Oh no… Oh no…. Ohnonono! Ah, I'm sorry, I forgot. Hokage-sama!" And she bowed.

Naruto stared at her, possibly bewildered, and Hinata braced herself for the scolding. Instead, she heard him laugh and against her best wishes, her heart skipped a beat.

"Ne, Hinata-chan, it's okay. Call me Naruto."

"No, I couldn't, not possibly. You are our Hokage-sama now so-"

"Che, you call me Hokage-sama but I'm still me, still Uzumaki Naruto, so…" His grin widened.

"But-"

"No buts. This is an order. Or, or… Are you trying to defy the Hokage's orders?"

"Ah, no. No… Naruto-kun." She yielded. But willingly. Maybe she just wanted Naruto's smile on her and no-one else, maybe she wished to bask in it while she could, because lately they'd been all keeping secrets from her, pretending to be deaf and mute whenever the topic of their Hokage was brought up, and she'd felt resented, ignored and neglected, but now he was there and there was no difference at all; still it was him, still her beloved, riveting Naruto-kun.

"There. That's how I like it."

_Still her… _

Her blush deepened. She could certainly feel it, for immense heat that surged up her spine and to her cheeks couldn't have been ignored by any means, yet instead of looking away and finding solace in her surroundings, she looked him directly in the eyes and persisted.

"Ne, Hinata-chan, weren't you in a hurry?"

"What? … Oh… Oh. Oh, no…" she moaned and sighed. "Tsunade-sama is going to kill me."

"Oh, baa-chan?" He blinked. She winced; calling her grandma… She wondered how he managed to escape without sustaining any grave injuries. After all, hadn't one jounin made a similar joke not long ago, thinking it appropriate given how Naruto used it so often, and ended up in the hospital with his arm broken? Also, Tsunade had been the one to cure him… Such… Irony.

"Uhn. Baa-chan. Don't worry about her, I gave her a small job to keep her busy not long ago, so you've still got an hour or two."

"Oh… Ah." Unable to help herself, she heaved out a sigh of relief, slumping against the nearby wall and attempting to calm her beating heart. "I'm glad…"

"What are you meeting her for, anyway?"

"Um, Tsunade-sama promised to help me with chakra control."

"Eh? But yours is fantastic, Hinata-chan, what would you need her for?"

"No… I don't think it's fantastic…" she protested, voice meek.

"Oh, what's that, Hinata-chan? Defying your Hokage again?"

"Wha-"-oh my god, he standing close. So, _so_ very close… His face but a few inches from hers, the heat he emanated directly caressing hers, and why was she this cornered, why the no way out? And why-did she feel… Wait, did this mean… Was Naruto-kun suggesting spending the remaining few hours with her?

_Please, please, please, don't faint… Ahh, I'm twenty-two years old, I can't faint. What would Naruto-kun think of me? _

"No… Naruto-kun, are we spending time together?"

As if hit, he recoiled.

Her heart dropped.

Naruto's smile completely disappeared and he appeared stunned, as if he'd truly not expected any such claim, or maybe he'd not been suggesting that at all and she'd been imagining things, just as she was imagining now the haunting look in his eyes; they narrowed, ever-so-briefly, possessed by an unknown force and turned sidewards to land on a random point on the neighboring rooftop, a hint of darkness looming behind them.

Hinata could have suffocated.

"Ne… If you'd like to."

Then the oppressive feeling was gone. She felt her strength return to her and, dazed, she pushed herself off the wall, surprised at her own newly regained ability to stand without any apparent problem at all. "Naruto-kun, you look… Is everything…?"

He wasn't speaking.

Why… Why wasn't he… What was going on…? True, he didn't want to spend time together at all then, but she'd witnessed rejections before – like that one time when Kiba had hit on a girl, thinking she'd fall for his rough, ragged charms and enjoy the company of him and his partner, but never before had she seen one that looked less like a rejection than this one. A tranquil voice in the back of her mind whispered to her ear it was not rejection at all, but something completely else that defied all logic – all that she'd deluded herself into believing.

Their voices flashed before her eyes; the hesitation carved in them, the nervousness of their actions as they denied her the pleasure of knowing the truth and rather pretended not to have heard her inquires of how Naruto-kun was doing and, not so suddenly, she felt she understood… She felt she… could relate.

To that confusion she'd seen in their eyes.

It cut deep. But her resolve was deeper.

"Naruto-kun, is there anything you need to talk about?"

Startled, he looked back at her. Under his inquiring eyes, her resolve strengthened. "Naruto-kun, if there's anything you need to talk about, I'm here. We are friends, aren't we? I… I'm here for you, so… So if there's anything troubling you, please, let me know."

Someone could have told her that her blush had gone – because she could feel it, because something chilly in her blood had flushed all embarrassment from her, but distraction wasn't permitted. She stared at him and stared and stared and stared.

He stared back, then smiled.

"Hinata-chan, let's walk."

"Walk," she echoed.

Wordlessly, he offered her a hand. Hinata looked down at the lines running to and fro, scattered sporadically on his hand, before reaching out and leaving hers in his, enveloped by the warmth of him she'd never before enjoyed.

For a few moments that she'd have called perfect if asked, they stood there, still, motionless, but then, in perfect unison, they moved, jumping off the rooftop and landing on the ground, startling a few good citizens of the city – who upon realizing who'd decided to grace them with their presence apologized profusely and bowed their heads.

"Hinata-sama, Hokage-sama."

All greeted, all respectful and Hinata looked at Naruto from the corner of her eyes. On the rooftop, he'd looked remotely content. Down here, he looked… like he was home.

"Do you smell it, Hinata-chan? Ichiraku ramen… Man, I miss it."

"We… We could try eating it… To-together."

He glanced at her, smiling. "I'd love that."

Her heartbeat picked up; thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump heavy and rhythmic against her chest, resounding with clarity in her ears. Never before had she been awarded with such ample opportunity, never before had Naruto… agreed or suggested and-did it mean anything at all? Anything…?

"Naruto-kun…"

The look in her eyes softened, love-laced, care-laden… His did too and the emotion in them, re-

"Hokage-sama!"

Genuinely startled out of her wits, Hinata whipped on her heel to see the two advisors from before running towards them, but something was different, something felt… Off about them for their demeanor had changed, taking a drastic turn for a feeling completely opposite of the irritable panic from before.

Naruto released her hand. She didn't notice.

"Hokage-sama, we have a situation."

"If it's the documents-"

"No. A girl was taken captive."

Naruto's eyes hardened. "What?"

The man stepped forward. Only now did Hinata see the grim look in his eyes. "A group of bandits has managed to infiltrate our defenses on the east side of Konoha and abducted a family of four. Hokage-sama, two of them children. They say they will kill the children first if they're not granted permission to leave our country without repercussions."

"What? Agh. Why didn't you get me sooner?"

"We tried but you were doing a very good job of neglecting your duties!" shouted the woman advisor, but Naruto wouldn't listen.

"You know what to do when such things happen, you have a way of contacting me" he snapped back and started off. "Hinata-chan, come. And you old farts, too."

"We're not too far from the place-Hokage-sama, you can't rush there. A group of jounins was dispatched there not long ago and the bandits reacted by harming the younger daughter," added the man quickly as he saw Naruto preparing to take off in an instant.

Naruto growled and his pace quickened. "Che. I hate filth like that. How come it happened? I thought we had the village borders secured."

"We had, but the guards were switching and the bandits took advantage of it. We don't have enough men to take care of the matter, all the jounins are currently doing missions to secure the borders with other countries and prepare Konoha for the delegation from Sand and the few we have couldn't handle the situation. Hokage-sama, the bandits requested your presence. It might be dangerous for you to go there-"

"Eh, then why did you come tell me personally? Oi, jii-san, you trying to get me killed?"

"No," answered the man, curt. Naruto didn't press the matter, following silently the woman as she explained the details to him.

"There are five of them. Their leader has hidden in the trees along with the younger child; the others are keeping their watch on the ground. We can't attack them directly, as they have a genjutsu master who keeps dispelling all our genjutsu and they're holding a knife at the children's throats constantly. Hokage-sama, one of them was injured… When one of our own tried to ambush them, the bandits retaliated and-we can't be sure of the child's injuries, but-"

"I can take care of it."

Naruto didn't even look at her, but she knew he was listening closely. "Tsunade-sama has taught me basic healing jutsu, I can heal any minor wounds the child has or at least stop the bleeding and keep her alive until the-"-she couldn't finish the sentence.

No-one said a word. After a while, Naruto lost his patience and leaped off the ground, the rest of them wordlessly following his lead. Her Byakugan activated, spotting the culprits ahead, and automatically landing on his figure which, enveloped by a mixture of red and blue, emitted such power that she suddenly feared for their good.

"Hokage-sama, here!" A jounin was waiting for them nearby but upon spotting them had, without thinking, alerted the bandits too; the next thing they heard was a guttural scream and the jounin's shocked gasp and all one after another overcame the wall erected around the village in one swift leap and landed on the ground.

A swirl of dust – then as it cleared, the four bandits not far ahead, and their leader on the branch above, the girl held firmly in his hands, a trickle of blood on her lower abdomen.

Hinata assumed a fighting position, her fists ready, the feet far part, her skin crawling with disgust. "A shallow cut. It's minor. Naruto-kun, she's not in any grave danger," she told him and rather than see she sensed him relax, as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

Then the negotiations started.

"Look, so they did call their leader. So you're the Hokage, right? I heard you had the demon fox sealed inside you. Well, step back, demon fox. One bad move-"-the leader's hand clutching the kunai moved and the sharp object caressed with fake affection the girl's tender nape; the girl shivered, a drop of tear trailing down her cheek. "And she gets it. You understand?"

"… Yes."

Compliance. Hinata shook her head; it didn't suit Naruto at all.

"What are your conditions?"

"A safe way out. No-one following us. No-one, you hear me? Or the brat gets it."

Naruto lowered his face. The bangs usually comparable to the sun above lacked their radiance, now ominously covering his face, keeping a dark shade over the eyes.

"You release the hostages now."

The leader and his merry band laughed. "Right. We let them go and you kill us. Like hell…" His lips spread into a nasty, perverse smile for the girl's body writhed against him and with sickening pleasure he pressed her closer, as if every move, every pained moan only aroused his sick fantasies. Then his expression contorted into a look of deep hatred. "The brats are coming with us. We give you the parents and keep the children. Deal or no deal."

Hinata fought the nausea.

"Alright."

Shocked, her eyes bored into the small of Naruto's back. "What? Naruto-kun-?"

"Hokage-sama, you can't. They're scum, we have no guarantee the children will be safe with them and one is injured."

"I know, jii-san. Don't think I didn't notice…"

The leader's malicious laugh resounded around. "That's how I like it. See, that's the kind of thing I want to see. Ha-ha. See, boys? The demon fox is nothing much after all. Hey, Tsune, didn't you say you had a grudge against the Hokage?"

The man holding the other child laughed. "Sure do. Bastard killed my comrades a year ago. Been itching to avenge them ever since then."

"See, demon fox? My buddy here is a bit frustrated. How about you let him rearrange your face?"

Naruto didn't react.

The jounins, the advisors, the parents – many pairs of eyes stared him down, all discontented, all disapproving, all silently asking "how could you". Hinata felt an unpleasant ping in her heart and made a move forward, acting on the displeasure she felt – that grave disappointment in Naruto that she'd never before expected to experience. Not with him. But she didn't get far.

"Hey, hey! Keep your distance, bitch! I tell you-one more step and I slit the brat's throat. You hear me?" The girl screamed – Hinata felt the blood inside her veins boil with anger. But she complied. "Good, good… Now… Where were we? Ah, right."

She exchanged a look with one of the jounins, a man she recognized from her chuunin exams, and his face covered under a thin layer of sweat expressed the same as hers. Nervous, she nodded, looking back at the bandits, body ready to launch forward and stop them, awaiting the signal from one of them-

-then she noticed a movement ahead, a shadow that could have been but a figment of her imagination, and Naruto's lips, barely visible at all, drew back into a small smile.

… _What…?_

"Tsune needs to let out some steam, see? Come on, just let him do it, so he won't be as inclined to _accidentally_ hurt the brat later."

One called Tsune shoved the girl into the open arms of another bandit; a loud, strangled groan was heard from the girl's parted lips, the parents cried pitifully and a whooshing sound echoed around as Tsune unsheathed his katana, the long, sharp blade gleaming ominously under the shade of tree.

"Hokage-sama, you can't-you can't let the man-"

"Hokage-sama, please-"

Hinata's eyes widened into the size of saucers, the small heart of hers beating hard against her ribcage – a wave of fright slaughtering all rational thought within, the blood turning icy-cold, beating against the veins, injecting fear of terrifying proportions into her mind.

"Naruto-kun, no!"

But Naruto didn't move at all as the man advanced on him, as he readied his katana and swung it back, and no-one acted at all, for, somehow, they all believed their leader wouldn't be so foolish; he was the leader, the only man in their country to be loved by all, to have such unwavering loyalty, so he couldn't, of course, be as stupid as not to dodge, as naïve as to believe the bandit was just jesting, yanking his leg and only playing around for sheer sake of it-but then he wasn't moving at all, safe for that one gesture of his hand that said "don't interfere", and Hinata felt the panic skyrocket to unmanageable levels, for-

-even if the fox could heal him, even if the fox could heal even the gravest of injuries-

-he shouldn't take the blow, shouldn't suffer so-

-and she heard a blood-curling scream emit from her throat, accompanied soon by the protests of all around-

-and Naruto's smile widened-

-and even from where she stood, she saw him mouth one word.

"_Sasuke."_

A blur of black – and inside it two blazing red dots; the clash of swords, a movement far too fast for even her eyes, then the presence of smothering, dark chakra and the bandit fell to his knees, the katana slipping free from his fingers, his stomach cut open, his blood sprinkled around, marring the ground.

A second later, he was dead.

His body, lifeless, toppled over backwards and only the eyes, still open and wide, in them the last remnants of arrogance he'd once possessed, the only reminder he'd ever existed as a living, breathing human being.

The dust settled and she saw a flash of yellow, then heard a shocked gasp-then the black blur was gone once more and the two, in perfect synchrony, attacked head-on that group foolish enough to assume they could have escaped their wrath.

Foolish and stupid and plain dumb and on the verge of dying and Hinata saw the time stop, saw his cloak suspended in the air, as though his movements were far too fast for even such things to catch up to the speed; it stood there, possibly attached to an invisible rope from the sky, unmoving-exactly like he who held the older girl in his arms-then shorter than one breath, all actions resumed-

-and three bodies fell to the ground, dead. Gone.

A another gasp, Hinata looked up and saw a katana sticking out from weird angle from the leader's body. The girl slipped from his grasp, fell down-caught on time by him.

The leader gurgled, bloodied foam gathered around his mouth and as the katana was removed, all that'd been holding him on the branch altogether disappeared and the man who had, just five seconds ago, been sporting an ugly smirk on his face, slumped to the ground, just as dead.

Sasuke's eyes the color of red darker than any she'd ever seen fell on his lifeless body. Naruto stood to his feet, holding in his arms both bewildered girls.

At once, the breath everyone had been holding – against their wishes, without their knowledge – was released. In mere five seconds, the threat had been dispersed, the situation solved and not one scratch on their bodies.

Hinata's eyes closed. Relief.

_It's over… So glad…_

Hinata's heart could have stopped. Sasuke jumped off the branch and landed right beside Naruto with the grace of a cat, sheathing his katana and deactivating the Sharingan.

Gently, Naruto put both girls on the ground, a soothing, loving smile on his face. Hinata thought to tell him to release the parents, but she noticed the ropes cut into pieces and it dawned on her Sasuke must have done it; yet when and how during the five seconds was beyond her.

"Hinata."

"Ah-ah. Yes."

_Why Hinata? Why not…_

She ran over and crouched down by the injured girl. "Ne, I'll take look at your wound, alright? Don't worry, you'll be fine, you're safe now."

The girl noticed her only now. Hinata thought she'd been too enraptured, perhaps, by the events that had transpired, yet the words to come spilling from her lips proved her wrong. "Of course. Our Hokage-same saved me." Radiance in her eyes.

Hinata forced herself to smile. "Yes, Hokage-sama did."

Without further ado, she started on the healing job; warm, green chakra enveloped her hands as they neared the cut marring the girl's stomach. Within moments, the tissue knitted together seamlessly, only a faint, reddish line remaining behind. Hinata wiped sweat off her forehead and sat back, watching the scene unfold before her eyes as the parents rushed towards their children and embraced them. Their joy was contagious and genuine, sending small jolts of happiness even up her spine, dismissing with ease the stress that had gripped her before.

The advisors had departed, possibly to strengthen their security for the next time, the group of jounins staying behind, guarding the position with burning passion in their eyes.

_Naruto-kun really impressed them, huh?_

She thought it endearing. Enough she sought Naruto's tall figure next, but… Yes, she did find him even with the Byakugan deactivated, even with most of him obscured by the shade of the tree, but-but-

_Sasuke… When did he…? And how did Naruto-kun…?_

Questions heaved her down, making standing up a feat to overcome. With difficulty, she moved back on her feet-but it shocked her right then to note the knees were wobbling, threatening to give up under her weight, and something oppressing in the air remained, beckoning her to stay where she stood and-promising terrifying things should she disobey.

Hinata didn't know why – the thing was a mystery –, but without understanding her motives, she found herself looking at Sasuke, as if he were at fault, as if…

As if he had a reason to stare at her like he did now, through narrowed, dark eyes turned into slits, from underneath the mess of hair caressing the pale of his skin, with as much emotion she thought it tangible.

Tangible, for it made her knees buckle, the body hit the ground. Then she understood perfectly for years of living had taught her to distinguish its foul, venomous presence from among any other-

-the one of hatred, the one deeply etched into Sasuke's eyes boring right into hers.

But even if she'd tried, she couldn't have figured out what drove him to regard her with such contempt-

Only that it pained her.

Only that one part of her comprehended with undesired perfection what she'd gotten herself in, conjuring up a scene from earlier ago on the rooftop, when Naruto had looked sidewards, averting his eyes from her, when she'd found him dark and brooding, when she'd thought a random point ahead had caught his attention for the time being-when Naruto had, for certain, noticed Sasuke there.

_Sasuke._

"Hinata-chan. Thank you." Naruto was looking at her, the serenity he emitted in stark contrast with Sasuke's scorching resentment. "By the way, I'll have to call off our arrangement. Sorry, Hinata-chan."

She tried to tell herself they weren't tears, because she wasn't sad, not in the slightest. It wasn't grief that she felt creep into every cell of her body, not anything even remotely related to it.

She also tried to tell herself Sasuke didn't look relieved and that Naruto wasn't doing it just to appease him.

She also tried to stand up. Instead, she scrambled to her feet like someone who'd lost a very precious thing.

And she tried to tell herself; she'd not lost it at all.

But she was such a bad liar.

Naruto turned around. "See to it the girl gets treated at the hospital. You guys, strengthen the borders. I'll send reinforcements. And take care of the bodies… I don't want anyone seeing the mess here. Make sure it doesn't happen again…"

He walked away. Sasuke by his side.

Now, for a change, the man's aura was calm. Together they walked, together they disappeared.

Now, Hinata understood why Sasuke and Ino and Shikamaru, why Shino and Kiba and even Tsunade had always just averted their eyes. Now.

Now… she cried.

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

Hours later.

"Sakura-san."

Sakura and Ino stopped in their tracks and turned around.

In the darkness of the night, Hinata's eyes burned bright. "Sakura-san, Ino-san. We need to talk. It concerns Naruto-kun… and Sasuke-kun."

Understanding dawned on them.

A small gesture to beckon her to come closer-then they talked.

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

Sasuke placed a hand on his shoulder.

He thought to recoil, but knew it wouldn't solve a thing.

The hold tightened. A shiver went down his spine. "Did you really have to..?"

"Yes."

Naruto hid his face in his hands. Sasuke moved to stand behind him, the moonlit figure almost ethereal.

"You know… I really, really can't wait to see Gaara."

"I know."

"Don't do anything stupid while he's here."

"I won't."

"Sasuke…"

"I won't."

Naruto smiled. "Liar."

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

Shikamaru looked up.

Underneath the moonlit sky, the blood pooled on the ground looked almost beautiful.

But only almost.

"Take care of the body." An order.

He removed a kunai from the corpse, tucking it inside his vest and turned to walk away. "Make sure no-one finds out."

The ANBU stopped. "Hokage-sama needs to know."

Shikamaru placed a hand on the small wound on his shoulder. Blood seeped through his fingers. "No-one is to find out."

Resolve.

"…Understood, sir."

The moon trailing behind, he walked away.

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

He counted. One. Two. Three. Four.

Four nights, then they'd be off.

In his hand, he grasped a small pouch.

Behind him, footsteps. "Kazekage-sama, you should rest."

Gaara placed the pouch inside his clothes.

"… You really can't wait to see him, huh?"

"Temari." He spoke up. "Have you ever had a precious person?"

"Gaara…"

"Blood relation… is important, but other than that?"

Temari seemed to sigh. He sensed her smile. "I'm sure he's just as impatient as you are."

"Impatient… am I?"

A nod. "Yeah. Come..." She put a hand on his shoulder. He knew that many years ago, that hand would have found itself missing an owner. Now, he gripped it firmly.

_Uzumaki Naruto… It's been two years. At last… _

"You are right; I am impatient."

Temari laughed and Gaara… he just smiled.

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but the story idea is mine alone.

Rating: PG-13 for themes, blood, swearwords (most of which have yet to make an appearance).

Summary: At twenty two, Naruto has achieved all; a Hokage at last, a man respected and loved, he rules his nation with compassion and understanding, bringing together lost families and friends, and disposing of those that dare oppose his peace. And Sasuke ever-so-faithfully stands by his side, an unchanging status for almost six years, and after these six years, people, villagers, their teachers and friends finally start to ask: "What is happening between Naruto and Sasuke?"

Setting: Six years after the Fourth Ninja War, so all ages have been changed accordingly. Naruto is the Hokage, but how exactly he achieved the status will be revealed step-by-step, along with many other details related to the "rookie nine" and all other characters.

Warning: There will be no OCs, only, perhaps, some OOCness which I'm partial to as anyone else, so that's excusable. Don't go around calling this yaoi, as Sole isn't yaoi… In fact, it's something akin to shounen-ai but not exactly… The purpose of this story is not to indulge anyone's perverse fantasies involving Sasuke and Naruto, but to elaborate further on the complex relationship they share as demonstrated in both manga and anime. With that said, I **love** the pairing, but I'm not promising anything.

Story will contain basic Japanese honorifics, but I'm hoping to avoid any Engrish or anything remotely deformed. So there will be no exclamations of "kawai" or "kakkoi", not even "hai". Should such a thing happen, however, I'll have a translation note added in the A/N.

A/N: This chapter is… way longer than I'd expected. Thankfully, all things turned out the way I'd hoped, meaning that so far it's going splendidly :) There are plenty important moments in this particular chapter and I believe I understand for sure all the ties between them, so there should be no inconsistencies in the future chapters. Doesn't mean you understand... But you're welcome to start guessing ;).

Translations:

Jii-san – grandpa;

Baa-chan – grandma;

-senpai – a suffix meaning "upperclassman"; a very polite way of referring to someone (you deem as) above you in ability or social status;

_In next chapter, Tsunade makes an appearance, Gaara and Naruto finally talk, the rookie nine gathers and Kakashi expresses a refusal to exchange information and someone threatens the peaceful dialogues between Konoha and Suna. _

Thanks for reading. Remember to R&R! x)

If you have any questions, add them in a review or message me personally :)


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter_three__Re_c**a**ll

The delegation from Sand came. It wasn't a normal delegation, not just a group of ninjas off to greet the citizens of Konoha and the people knew it, hence the preparations of three weeks in order to secure all and eliminate potential threats. Because when the delegation came, they showed Konoha trust, because their own home was left unprepared for any surprise attacks, bared for the enemy to seize it should they desire. Because their own Kage had left to initiate dialogues with the other and because for two years they'd not seen each other, their respectful statuses a hindrance to any meeting whatsoever.

Gaara knew this. He understood all the implications of coming to Konoha for should anyone really feel the urge, Sand would fall and Sand would fall quickly, lacking its protector, the Kazekage, lacking its elite fighters and all those keeping it safe.

But the welcome was a grand one, depicting over-gratuitous, over-dramatic warmth as the citizens of Konoha stood on the sidelines, as his best jounins marched slowly behind him, their chins high, as the Hokage walked towards him, followed by the dark one and the rest of his closest confidants.

On this bright, beautiful later spring day, they both met mid-way, a symbol to their relationship and alliance they'd built only with a great amount of patience, and they bowed and trusted their closest ones to do the obligatory, although rather unnecessary introductions.

"The Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure, Subaku no Gaara."

"The Sixth Hokage of Konohakure, Uzumaki Naruto."

Dialogues.

Gaara felt tranquil. Staring into Naruto's bright eyes was the highlight of his day – or his week, or month, perfection embodied – and he saw the man's lips twitch.

His own mirrored the mysterious gesture and he hid his smile efficiently underneath the mandatory hat they'd forced him to wear.

In his head, Gaara counted down the remaining few seconds before it started, yet he'd greatly underestimated the other, for he only got to three when it happened.

When Naruto groaned out loud, getting the attention of everyone around, bellowed something in the lines of "ah, so boring!" in the most aggravated of voices and stomped over to Gaara, ignoring all those looks screaming at him to stop, for this was an official meeting between the Kages, one to establish better relationship between their countries, one to gain the trust of the other village and one to ensure no conflicts would really stand in their way of future alliances. One insinuating other life-threatening things, as they'd said, that Naruto was either choosing to ignore or taking care of in his own, boisterous, sanguine way.

"Gaara!"

And the next thing Gaara knew, he was enveloped in an firm, hearty hug and there were two hands clasped on his back and a face against his, strands of hair surely not his tickling his features, a lilting sound echoing in his ears and the general cry of "oh, no" coming from all directions possible.

Gaara smiled.

This… human interaction… was pleasant. "Naruto."

"Wah, Gaara, it's been two years."

Before Gaara could reply, a voice to their left interrupted their chain of thoughts. "Um, Hokage-sama, there are people watching and I'm not sure this is a good idea-"

"Shhh, shh!" One of Naruto's hand made an obscene gesture at the man before waving him off dismissively and returning back to rest on Gaara's back. Yet then it moved, slithering upwards and pausing only upon reaching his shoulders. Then Uzumaki Naruto was pulling away, a wide, impossibly wide and radiant smile on his face, still that small, insignificant distance between them.

Gaara cocked his head to the side and feeling the sun burn his eyes he realized the hat had fallen off in the impact. He shook his head and motioned with a look meant for Kankuro to pick it up, who did it gingerly, holding it in his hands for the time being while Gaara focused back on Naruto.

"It has. Old friend."

"Yeah…" Naruto looked to be reminiscing. Gaara thought to appreciate it. Then Naruto grinned and pulled away entirely.

Gaara saw his hands follow Naruto, refusing to let go, and he realized with some signs of surprise that he'd similarly hugged the man back; now the hands lacking his warmth remained frozen mid-way, adamant in their refusal to let go of that one person to really see him for who he was, for what reassurance he had they'd come back, that it was only temporary?

Naruto was smiling. The grin gone, his face looked young and pleasant, different from the mask of mischief still visible here and there, much closer to the picture of Hokage they'd all undoubtedly envisioned.

"I believe we have… I think it's 'some catching up to do'," he spoke after a while. Naruto nodded, vigorous, and just suddenly a man appeared by his side, one that elicited a moan of surprise from Temari's lips and disgruntled groan from Kankuro's.

"Wha-?" The man started whispering into Naruto's ear and Gaara strained his mind to recall his name, for he knew they'd met before, for he understood the face was a familiar one, yet no matter how hard he tried, his mind kept turning back to the thought of Naruto – to his golden hair now wind-swept, to the skin unblemished, the eyes that even after many years told a story scarily similar to his.

He smiled and nodded at the man. Gaara's heart constricted and a frown forced its way to his face, raising a few questions of "why" and "how" he couldn't have understood if his life had depended on it, but then the man was leaving and he heard Naruto call him "Shikamaru" a name he'd surely, by the end of the day, forget once more.

Naruto stopped to stand by his side. It was ceremonial, all that, grand and important and they all proceeded according to plan that Naruto had so carelessly interrupted, but Gaara could tell the atmosphere had changed and what had before seemed so stagnant and detached now buzzed with life and laughter – all because of him.

"Eh, Gaara, you're smirking…?"

Idly, he looked at Naruto.

He didn't know – couldn't have possibly guessed – what expression currently marred his face, yet whatever it was, it brought surprise in Naruto's eyes and then laced them with comprehension that cut deeper than deep.

Then Naruto looked at the ground and smiled softly. "Heh. You really have changed."

"Have I?"

"Yeah. You used to be…" he trailed off. Gaara didn't want to finish that sentence. Soon, they'd be seated at a table in a room with low ceiling and many seats and all important figures from both Konoha and Suna would be there, intent upon forming an even greater alliance between their villages and Gaara was sure that as long as Naruto was there, they'd manage.

Gaara looked at ground.

Frowned.

Specks of dust visible in the air forced his attention on them, beckoning him to look closer until clearly he could distinguish the sand in-between, slithering in a thin layer near his feet, pooled around and raising here and there even to his waist.

_Defense… Why._

"Well, come on then. We gotta feed those old farts their political bullshit. But after we're done with that, we'll talk at last. Alright!"

Gaara glanced back at Naruto.

Sand and defense forgotten, the thought of the two of them together, basking in the sun, not one thing in the world capable of bringing them apart filled his mind.

He nodded. "I couldn't agree more, Hokage-sama."

Naruto laughed, cheering. "Kazegake-sama."

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

The meeting took longer than expected. Naruto's nervous fidgeting had started only an hour into it and Gaara had faked interest in the nonsensical talk of borders and terrorism growing in numbers, partially amused by the man's antics and partially annoyed, too, yet at whom exactly he didn't know.

When it was over, the sun had long gone down the pathway to setting down, flickering on the horizon, occasionally obscured beneath the clouds swirling to and fro ominously. Gaara felt peaceful. With the dialogues over and successful, with the leaders of both villages agreeing, with the consensus yet to be written down readied in their minds, at last he could enjoy that one thing he'd been denied for many hours.

Still his impassive, dispassionate face retained its neutrality even when lead to the top of the building the meeting had taken place in, even when the guards dutifully left him, commanded to do so by none other than him, even when his presence soon joined him in staring at the village laid out before them and even when he heard him sigh in the overtly dramatic way that suggested he'd long tired of the silence.

Gaara tried to pinpoint his exact reasons for remaining silent, managing only when Kankuro's voice from a memory not long ago drifted to his ears; he thought back to the day when his older brother had apparently found solace in a much younger, yet supple flesh of a girl from their village and his sister had poked at him relentlessly about it, bringing it up whenever possible and coming up with the oddest of nicknames for his supposedly perverse needs; when, after many days of keeping cool, his brother had finally snapped and shouted at the woman to stop "teasing"; when she'd stuck her tongue out and said she enjoyed it.

Was he teasing him? Was he… Enjoying it? His pale eyes landed on the figure of his friend stood next to him and there, on the tanned face, he saw the unnerved look of badly bottled up anger, the twitching of his eyebrows and the lips of his uncharacteristically turned upside down.

Gaara's brows furrowed.

Naruto's knitted together.

Gaara blinked.

Naruto's face got precariously close to his, the warm breath on his face a surprising new element.

Gaara inclined his head to the side.

Naruto's face contorted into one great, frown… It was… Funny . And… Funny and… Well.

Gaara's lips twitched; no longer capable of holding back, he relaxed, letting out whatever had been fighting for control since their arrival to the rooftop half an hour ago. As it turned out, it was a-

"Laughter…" Naruto reeled back and fumed. "Ah! You're-ugh. Gaara! You're laughing at me? _Why_?"

Naruto was… Funny when frustrated. But was he really laughing? When had he last…?

"Jeez! Some friend you are," muttered the other Kage and Gaara analyzed his words closely, searching for any remote signs of anger, yet when all he found was affection folded so safely underneath, he relaxed and finally acknowledged that low, rumbling sound coming from his throat.

"I apologize," he said.

Naruto stopped flailing and stared at him. "Nah," he said after a while and grinned. "It's quite a rare sight to see you laugh."

"Possibly."

"And you still don't talk much."

"Hn."

"… Okay, scary resemblance right here. Oh, Gaara~!"

Gaara looked him the eye. "What?"

Suddenly, Naruto's hand was on his shoulder. That contact wasn't nearly as intimate by most standards, but, nonetheless, the soothing quality of it that it contained lifted a veil of vulnerability over him.

"I really missed you."

And the veil neared him even more. Gaara felt his end nigh.

"I think… this sensation…" He looked down at his hand, studying the lines he saw there, those that had never born any significance to him before, but as he recalled how Naruto had shaken his hand, as he recalled the direct skin-to-skin contact still a rarity in his book, he thought they'd never been more important before. "I believe… I missed you too."

"That's good."

"Is it."

"Of course. Friends miss each other."

"Friends… Yes, you are my close friend."

Their eyes met. A silent understanding passed between them, one undeserving of any words at all. And a carnal, burning emotion lifted Gaara's heart to impossible heights.

"Thank you, Uzumaki Naruto."

"What for?"

"For… everything. I don't believe I ever thanked you properly. For-"

"Nah… You don't need to thank me. I did what I had to. _Wanted_ to. No-one deserves that kind of… Hey, Gaara, remember what we were like?"

"What do you mean?"

Naruto looked at the sky and outstretched his hand in front of him. "It feels weird, I guess. Just ten years ago, I was nothing. Now… Well, I got it. I achieved my dream. I am the Hokage."

Sensing the tender beginnings of doubt blossom feverishly in his voice, Gaara seized him up and down. "Are you not glad? This is what you wanted."

"Yeah." Naruto's hand balled into a fist. "I couldn't be happier."

And the doubt hit rock-bottom. Right then, Gaara realized the silent agreement had passed between Naruto and someone else too.

"You're keeping something from me."

"Maybe."

"You are… Do friends do that too?"

"Yeah."

"Is it alright?"

"No." He appeared angry. Finally. Gaara recognized it with ease, but knew not how to handle this unanticipated turn of events. "But it happens… Friends keeping things from each other…"

"Why would a friend do that to his closest ones?"

"Because… Because." Naruto's voice shook. The slight, most significant change was appalling; it was the direct opposite of what Gaara pictured Naruto to be, a fearsome, horrifying change in comparison to what the young man represented. He saw the wind play with his hair, saw it ruffle it cruelly and slash the hair about with vice.

"Because… Maybe the friend thinks the truth would hurt them and the friend doesn't want to see his precious people hurt."

"And while doing so, the friends fails to see own mistakes."

"Mistakes…? Yeah. The friend should trust them, but the truth would hurt them-"

"Would it really, Naruto?"

Naruto's eyes snapped shut. "There are some things better left unsaid."

"Naruto… What are you keeping a secret from everyone?"

And opened slowly. "Did you know about Sasuke?" Absent, they stared far ahead and maybe the sky was just an obstacle, for unseeing the look in them was, suggesting that whatever memory currently occupying his thoughts was, it had spirited his mind away to a place Gaara could never ever reach.

"Uchiha Sasuke. You sacrificed eight years of your life for him. First just to hunt him down, then to… Free him from the wrath of your villagers. I know of him, Naruto. I can't think of a person who wouldn't be familiar with his story."

"Yeah…"

"Did you… want to say something? Does it concern him?"

Naruto didn't reply. Gaara had previously thought once that at last he'd figured out the workings of conversation, yet this perturbing silence confused him. Wasn't Naruto supposed to talking back? Humoring him, perhaps, with small talk, keeping the conversation going and sharing new and amazing things with him, because that was the charm of friendship, the continuous state of curiosity and the state of every detail that reassured its novelty even if a thousand times already it'd been mentioned. Yet Naruto was doing no such thing, immersed in own thoughts with a certain look on his face Gaara had once seen on himself.

"You're not-"

"I'm sorry."

Gaara clamped his mouth shut. Then frowned. "I'm not sure I understand you right now, Uzumaki Naruto."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?"

"I… For troubling you. You are right. I'm making a mistake." A small, serene smile made its way to his features, caressing them at last, gracing them with its presence. "I should trust them… I'm just afraid they'd… Be hurt. I thought I could handle it… I didn't. I told someone else, a friend, because of our bonds, but he… He… Huh. What did I do to him?" Anguish. Naruto's hands met the face, shielding it from the rest of the world to see.

"Your friend, how did he react?"

Once more, Naruto ignored him. Gaara, wondrous, thought he was dealing with it rather well, considering how he'd gotten used to getting an immediate answer to each and every question. But this situation was also different. This was his friend. Not his subordinate. Not just someone. Not a random face. Not a person in the crowd. This was Naruto, his beacon of light.

A dimmed, weakened beacon of light.

To think that something gripped him so hard… "Naruto, tell me. Please."

His hands fell by his side, hanging there, motionless. He couldn't see the face, for obscured it was, a great shade cast over it.

"My friend… Shikamaru. He'd be angry at me if he heard me speak this way of him. I don't think he'd ever admit that knowing pained him. Well… I guess there's nothing I can do… Not now… _No_."

Gaara's eyes widened; his hand which he'd previously placed on Naruto's shoulder had slowly started to slip down – now Naruto's lay on top of it, holding it in place , their fingers intertwined in a gesture Gaara could only call in-

A tear of sand rose from the ground below. Soon it gathered its brethren, rising further up until they formed a thin, almost translucent blanket around Gaara's arm.

Naruto blinked, all previous conversation momentarily forgotten. "Gaara, your sand."

"It's reacting, my ultimate defense."

"Eh… Why?"

"It reacted even before…"

"What? But-"

Gaara felt a sense of foreboding. "Naruto, let me try something."

"What? … Wh-_Gaara_?"

He'd not done it before. They said that was the ultimate sign of affection, but then again he'd heard of an… even bigger one. So it wasn't a big deal, not by any means and it was an experiment, too, and Gaara didn't know why his insides had decided to constrict so painfully, even if he knew his reason for committing it to was rational, logical, purely innocent. There was no hidden agenda, no other motive and he knew it wouldn't reach completion, yet the heart did a terrifying thump-thump and his hands coming into contact with Naruto's face seemed to recoil, as if hit, yet the onslaught of emotions was the cause behind it and nothing else and-Naruto wasn't doing a thing at all, merely looking directly into his eyes and expressing both explicit trust and unmasked curiosity.

Then their foreheads touched and the noses brushed and the warmth of his invaded all his senses, intoxicating.

And before he could wonder about the next step, before he'd have to question his actual motives, before a second had passed-

-he felt it.

Thick. It swarmed them both. It forced him to step away. He didn't know why he was putting more distance between them, why his hand felt so cold, why Naruto was looking at him – knowingly, fearfully, like he'd long ago guessed what was going on.

He didn't know why Naruto's eyes widened, why the oppression in the air laced with – what was it? – strengthened, neared them and why his sand shield enforced, built around him like a wall as thick as a bull's head.

He knew nothing at all.

Only that just two seconds later, Naruto wasn't there.

Red eyes, red like blood, stared him down and the gleam of a weapon reflected all the shine in the world, then the hunger and hatred, stronger than the one he'd once personally known-

-far more stronger to be grasped.

The weapon's tip touched him.

A hand shot out, twisted the weapon away and there – a spurt of blood. Then it dripped down onto the ground below.

He saw the red eyes widen – fear? – and heard a strangled scream.

"SASUKE."

Pause. Pregnant silence. Thick with the unspoken. Gaara stared.

"Sasuke, please… Stop. You promised."

Before him Uchiha Sasuke, the cursed eyes blazing red, his katana ready to strike, hovering a few inches from his figure and around the katana, grasping it firmly, was Naruto's hand.

"You _promised_."

Naruto. Wonder what emotions his eyes contained. Wonder what he was feeling. Wonder what… Gaara's sand wall dissolved. No, there was no danger… Not… that kind of danger.

His friend moved. The hand gripping the blade forced it away, until its tip was pointed towards the sky, until Sasuke released it at last and so did it Naruto and it cluttered loudly as it hit the ground, a smudge of blood marring it.

Gaara's eyes fell on the wound on his hand, open, fresh, with blood running down the skin.

Then footsteps.

"Narut-What… Damn it, _Sasuke_." Like a curse word it sounded coming from the man's lips. The next moment, Shikamaru was running towards them, pushing Sasuke away and standing between them.

Sasuke's eyes, now coal black, rested on Naruto.

"This isn't what you do out of love, you fool," hissed Shikamaru.

And Sasuke's eyes grew wide. "Love? You're wrong, Shikamaru. I don't love Naruto."

"Sasuke, stop. Get o-"

"_I hate Naruto_."

Gaara saw pain flash in his eyes; saw Shikamaru wince and saw himself react; saw Sasuke recoil and-Naruto stepped over to Sasuke and pressed his injured hand flat against the man's neck right where it connected to the shoulders. There it remained, possibly listening with the fingertips to the pulse, the quickening heartbeat of the man.

A moment later, the hand slid down, leaving a bloodied trail behind. "Good. Hate me. Hate me all you want. As long as you remember what will happen if you betray me."

Sasuke's hand rose, fingers brushing against the blood on his collarbone, wiping it off as if wishing to confirm it was not but a figment of his imagination.

Gaara could swear he looked crest-fallen, but the words he knew sufficed not in describing with perfection the emotion to scream from his dark eyes. Nothing sufficed. Uchiha Sasuke looked at him, but failed to hold the stare, as if something heavy was dragging him down to his knees and instead of complying he turned on his heels and jumped off, his figure a blur soon afterwards, meant to be mistaken with the shadows.

Naruto gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath.

"Naruto-"

"No, I'm fine. The wound's already healed. Kyuubi took care of it." To prove the words, he thrust the hand in their faces, where not even a faint trail remained behind to ever live as proof of the slash wound.

Shikamaru laughed. Gaara recognized it as bitter, wrathful. "I don't mean that and you know that."

"It doesn't matter, Shikamaru."

"It does-"

"No, it-"

"You friend is right, Naruto." Gaara stepped forward. Shikamaru looked at him. Naruto kept staring ahead. "I don't know what happened, but it seems to me this is the one you spoke about, the friend hurt by your revelation."

Said friend scoffed. "Naruto, you're an idiot… Really. I suspected you… But no. Ugh, this is, we need to…"

"Hey, at least I'll be alone for a moment, right?"

"Not… what I wanted to hear," added the man but Naruto started walking off, leaving the two of them behind, stopping only to look at Gaara over his shoulder and sigh.

"Gaara, I'm sorry. Ah, this isn't what friends do. I… Can we talk a bit later? You're not leaving until after the day after tomorrow, so we've still got time to chat, just now… I. Need some time alone. Okay? Please, understand." His body moved around, facing Gaara.

And Gaara.

Gaara had to look at the unbidden beauty of the village. "I understand, Uzumaki Naruto. Just remember, you know where to find me if you need a friend. Friends help each other. It is not one-sided, but mutual. Understand that."

Whatever Naruto did or said escaped his attention. He was left to his musings and only the shadow user hadn't gone yet. He thought the man to be facing similar issues of deciphering what had happened, why Sasuke had savagely, like a beast, thrown himself on Gaara, before proclaiming his hatred for Naruto-before shrinking away like a wounded animal and running off.

He wanted to understand.

"Does Naruto… go through this often?"

Needed to understand.

"You mean Sasuke's outbursts? … Yeah. Sadly, he does."

He yearned for it.

"Whenever someone gets too close, whenever he gets too far, whenever left alone for too long… On daily basis."

But knowledge didn't come easily.

"Do you know why?"

Shikamaru didn't reply. Perhaps thinking it over, attempting to find the right words or figure out which piece of information deserved to be shared. Or, perhaps, he didn't know himself and whatever secrets Naruto had spilled to him had only sufficed in making life a general mystery.

Maybe the mystery didn't exactly lie in sharing information, as it did in not sharing. Maybe, just maybe, it was all about the things _unsaid_.

"I wish I knew… I wish I knew. So I could help him."

Gaara's sand cradled him with a mother's care. "But we can't."

"_We can't."_

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

"So, um. Rookie nine, welcome!"

"Uh… Right, look. We're missing, um, Chouji who's on a mission, then Shikamaru, Naruto and that guy-"

"Well, the meeting concerns Naruto and, as you put oh-so-elaborately, that guy… And Shikamaru is an ass who got a stupid seal put on him so."

Victorious and eternally obstinate, Sakura crossed her hands over her chest and nodded to affirm the strength and validity of her words.

Kiba stared.

_Right…_

"Is that why we're meeting at night on top of the academy and hiding?"

"Oh, shush, we're not hiding. Are we?" Ino giggled stupidly and made a dismissive gesture with her hand.

"Uh-huh… Right. Totally not hiding. Right Shino?"

Shino looked at him. Stared.

Kiba made a grimace. Right… He forgot… Shino was, er, special.

"… Whatever. So what are-"

"Ah, everyone, hope I'm not late." A sugary voice from above echoed from the scantily, disgustingly clad figure of none other than Sai who appeared right in the middle of their merry little circle of friendship, facing the girls and blatantly ignoring the guys.

"Sai, great, just on time. There, there, over to the boys. The boys are in a 'we are clueless' group and we, the girls, are the 'we know it all' group."

"You know, there's something totally wrong about that sentence, Ino. Also, I mean, if you had Shikamaru on your side-"

"_Kiba_, don't mention the traitor's name ever again."

Remind him to ask Naruto how he'd survived Sakura's vagarious, volatile nature, a combination of two worst personality traits that had chanced upon each other once upon a time and decided to, for reasons that eluded him, breed just to create that wonderful, sweet and loving girl named Sakura.

_I swear. If I ever have kids, I won't let her go near them. _

"Sakura-san, that's a bit… Kiba-kun, please. Listen."

And remind him to ask Naruto how he'd not fallen for _that_ yet; the guy was either blind, or… Okay, thoughts please to stop going there.

Begrudgingly, he complied. "Oh, fine. Whatever. Just spill it then."

Sai moved to his group as instructed and Sakura cleared out her throat. And so it was her who started the tale. Kiba had expected to be told many things, in all honesty, and in his years had had his share of peculiar stories he wouldn't even share because they were impossible to explain, but Sakura's story was a category on its own. Moments into it, he found himself frowning in confusion; later, it morphed into shock; then into repulsion; eventually, after Sakura finished it all with a self-explanatory "and so we're here", it was a combination of all three that settled on Kiba's face and refused to budge an inch, and suddenly, all those awkward tales of his shrank in fear, protesting loudly in the back of his mind, as, apparently, all things possible paled in comparison to that.

Despite that, he shook it all off.

Bewildered, he stared at the group of girls. "Alright, so. Let me get this straight and correct me if I got anything wrong, okay? So Shikamaru had Naruto place a seal on himself just to protect Naruto's secret. And that secret apparently not only concerns Naruto, but also Sasuke and us and, um, right, Kakashi-sensei and everything and-does that include even Akamaru?"

Akamaru stopped licking his butt and panted.

"… You don't understand the gravity of this situation," he concluded before anyone had the time to react disgusted.

Sakura, the self-proclaimed leader of the group, answered. "You don't get it then."

"No. Okay? I don't know. Look, my life doesn't revolve around Naruto and least of all that asshole. Sure, Naruto's a Hokage now and he's doing a good job at it so far, but it doesn't mean I'll go poking around and butting my head into his private business."

Ino huffed. "You can't be serious about that."

"Because you're totally serious about your little problem there."

"Kiba-kun, I don't think you understand."

"No, Hinata. This is stupid."

"So you mean you're not concerned at all about what's going on?" pressed Sakura.

"No."

Not three but five pairs of eyes landed on him, glaring intently and forcing him to re-consider… Or run. Boldly. Like a man. At least Akamaru was by his side.

"Ugh, right, so I get why Ino, Sakura and Hinata would be all over that story, given that Hinata's still head over heels for Naruto-"-he ignored her undignified screech-"-and that Ino and Sakura still lust after Sasuke-"-and was glad for Ino stopping Sakura just in time before the woman got close enough to take his head off-"-and, okay, so I get Sai, too, since he's like Sasuke's carbon copy and totally crushing on Naruto-"-and he composed himself, knowing bursting out laughing upon noting Sai's anguished look wouldn't help his cause-"-but you, Shino? Even you? Oh, come on, man."

"Naruto is our friend." Was the man's simple reasoning.

"Yeah, but we shouldn't butt into his business."

"Naruto is our Hokage. His business is our business."

"… Right. So we should give a damn about what he does behind the closed door?"

"Are you insinuating he and Sasuke are-"

"No… No. Okay. No. Please just." Shouldn't have eaten that steak; it was making its undigested, rigid presence known. "I don't care what they do. Sure, what you said sounds like something is going on but do we seriously have to go and pry and ask and act like we're all from the same mother and need thus pretend what's happened to one happened to all? Our fates are not intertwined, guys. Not… That closely."

He paused. Still those glares… Sure, he did buckle slightly underneath the pressure then, feeling like an asshole and their eyes only confirmed that thought, requesting further profanities to be directed at him, but there was only as much involvement as he was willing to accept and as much profanities he'd release in a string under an hour. "Look, guys. Naruto is my friend."

"Oh, wow. Don't say? I honestly wouldn't be able to guess," Sakura was saying, her voice a perfect embodiment of sarcasm.

To her side, Ino nodded and leaned against Hinata, using the girl's smaller shoulders to rest her head upon. "A prime example of friendship right there."

"… Ugh." Ignore, ignore, no need to feel insulted… He sighed. "He is my friend. Sure, you just conveniently forgot that we went on many missions together even back then when Sasuke was still locked in a small cell without any hopes of ever leaving it alive. And you conveniently forgot I had and still have Naruto's back. Nice, thanks. I say no to your stupid suggestion and you immediately go around, calling me a bad friend. Thanks. But he is my friend. I just don't get why I – why we should get involved. Naruto is all big now, he can take care of myself now. And he can take care of Sasuke and whatever Sasuke wants to do with him… Or to him…" He wrinkled his nose and crossed his hands over his chest.

"I mean, remember? He did defeat Madara, after all. I don't think there's anyone more powerful in this world right now than Naruto."

"So whatever you throw at him, he can handle," added Shino, thoughtful, and Kiba nodded at him, feeling he'd gotten his support at last. Still, looking at the girls took some courage, and only once he'd mustered it all up did he glance in their direction, ponderous of their reactions.

As he found out, it wasn't as bad; the ever-so-gullible Hinata had been swayed enough by his firm portrayal of own beliefs that a look of uncertainty had come over her face, meaning she was reconsidering greatly where she actually stood with it.

Ino and Sakura, although seemingly unperturbed, had a hint of doubt in their eyes, and all in all the situation was looking good.

Too good.

Even Sai had…

Kiba's ego demanded satisfaction. The consciousness demanded regret.

So he felt regret.

Before he could stop himself, his mind went to all those times when Naruto had hurriedly called off their rendezvous, saying something had come in his way. Never had Kiba thought much of it, for why should he? Being a Hokage was a matter of grave importance and not something to be signed and taken care of in a few minutes' time, so, naturally, he'd only nodded back at him and jokingly shaken his fist, proclaiming Naruto was to pay for a ramen at Ichiraku's next. Now that he thought about it, had there been a next time, or had all promises been rendered empty? And… Was it just his imagination or had Naruto always looked… sad?

… Oh. No. No. No. Damn. He was not getting dragged into this mess. No. Not that. Ew. And, goodbye and farewell and all that and-

"… Kiba?"

_Oh, screw my life…_

"UGH." He could have ripped his own hair out if he didn't treasure his good looks so.

"… Okay?"

"Okay. _Okay._ Fine, so there might be something to what you're saying," he admitted sourly, immediately turning away to miss the victory in their eyes.

"You're saying you believe us?" asked Ino, confirming something.

Kiba scoffed and stuck his hands in his pockets. "I'm saying there might be something to it, that's all. That's all, ladies, get it? And I still refuse to be a part of it, at least not until you show me a proof."

"A proof," echoed Hinata.

"Exactly. A proof. Give me a proof. Not just your feelings or superstitious or, um. Anything. A proof. Evidence that something unhealthy that could put us all in danger is going on between them, or that it's, at least, really hurting Naruto." A guttural growl left his throat. "You do that and I'll believe you. Until then? Count. Me. _Out_."

"I see. Makes perfect sense, Kiba. Then how about this; just moments ago Uchiha Sasuke attacked the Kazegake and hurt Naruto. Is that proof enough?"

Kakashi stood just nearby, such distance between them that suggested he'd honestly arrived but moments ago, possibly some time during Kiba's proclamation of "a proof" and "count me out", yet the words he'd spoken implied he'd been listening on them for a while-

_Wait._

Kiba's eyes widened. "What did you say?"

"Kakashi-sensei." Sakura. She was… Perplexed wasn't the right word… Horrified? Downright freaking horrified? Yeah, okay, that did the magic trick. In fact, all of them did and, sure, Shino had that convenient collar over his face and all, but he'd known the guy a while; the tensing of his muscles couldn't have been mistaken for anything but shock.

"What are you saying, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura's voice, if possible, sounded even worse than before.

Kakashi turned to stare at Kiba lazily, as if hoping to inflict great guilt on him. Then he continued. "It's true. Sasuke attacked Gaara. We can't be sure if his intention was to kill him, but Naruto stopped him just in time. Now, Sasuke has gone missing and the guards report that Naruto is not to be disturbed. Thankfully, the Kazekage doesn't intend to break off the peace talks and the dialogues are to resume tomorrow."

"That doesn't make sense-why-ugh." Kiba couldn't speak. His mind reeled. Was this the proof? Was this… his fault? … No. Don't be stupid, it couldn't have been his fault at all, it was just… Words. A stupid wish he'd not even thought through and, no, actually… Scratch that. Not a wish at all. In fact, he'd been just filling the silence with small talk, nothing else. Right.

_Right._

Guilt.

Sai kept his cool. "Why did Sasuke-kun attack the Kazekage?"

Kiba prayed; let it be a rational reason, let it be Sasuke being a damn paranoid fool and thinking Gaara had been intending upon harming their Hokage. Yeah. That was it. That made sense.

Kakashi walked over them, hands stuck in pockets, both eyes open, the Sharingan activated.

"Because Gaara got too close to Naruto."

_What…?_

"And so Sasuke attacked him."

Hinata choked back a sob. Akamaru whined. Sai remained silent. Ino and Sakura shared a look, before looking at Kiba with pity – saying "sorry that you got your proof" – and subsequently focusing back on Kakashi.

And they all looked like they'd expected it. Like it made sense. A piece of puzzle they'd found, yay, yet instead of rejoicing, frolicking and dancing around the bonfire they looked so-damn-wrecked.

Kiba cussed himself out.

"I'm looking for Sasuke, it's not good he's disappeared, but there's no trace of him and I can't ask Naruto personally… Apparently, Sasuke told Naruto he hated him."

"Oh, Sasuke… why…" moaned Sakura, voicing their all thoughts.

"I believe we'd all like to know."

For a few moments, no-one said a thing. Each and every one of them had opted for immersing in own thoughts in the hopes of coming up with an answer, yet each came back empty-handed and all those minutes were for naught, completely lost – possibly, as Kiba found himself guessing, like Naruto's heart.

Hate… Hate him… Did Sasuke… Really?

Kiba clenched his hands. Hard, the fingers dug into the flesh. "I don't… I don't get it. You all told me Sasuke trailed behind Naruto like a lost, kicked puppy. That whenever he went, Sasuke did, too. I mean, what the hell. From the sound of that, it looked like Sasuke was in love. Love-struck or, whatever, obsession in that creepy, stalker-ish way, his good supposed looks excluded, but this is… Insane. Why would he… do it if he hates Naruto?"

No-one answered him. No-one.

Right then, Kiba understood why Sakura had renounced Shikamaru; if that fool were with them right now, he'd offering suggestions, possible solutions and so what that he didn't seem all that experienced in the tricky field of love and hate, so what if…? He' had his share of problems and that mind of his, completely ingenious, and the past years he'd spent diligently by Naruto's side would have aided them greatly.

Instead, all they got that was the unsettling silence, the many unspoken questions arising one after another, filling the air around until breathing became not an option, but means to achieving with quick succession their ultimate demise.

"Damn…"

"So you believe now, Kiba."

He couldn't look at Kakashi. Damn that… Man.

"Yeah… I do. Sure I do."

"I thought you should know."

"Yeah…" His mind… So blank…

Silence. Deafening silence. If only someone would-

"What do we do about it?"

Sharply, he looked at Hinata, whose drive presented clearly in her pale eyes brought a sense of clarity and hope into his. Kiba wasn't sure if that was her love driving her, or something else. Maybe folly.

But he liked it.

"Agreed. We need to do something about it."

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy. The only person close enough to Naruto that could help had put a seal on himself to forever ensure his silence," said Kakashi coolly, but he was an idiot; Kiba had spent enough time around aloof people to read their body language perfectly and Kakashi's, right now, was speaking volumes about how immensely fatigued he was, fatigued and clueless, and lost. Exactly as they were.

"Can't you help us, Kakashi-sensei?"

"No. At least not yet. I admit, I have been doing some investigating too and have a help of a few reliable people, but so far I can't agree to help you."

"Why?"

"You are… too loud."

"That… hurt a bit," said Ino, disdained.

Kakashi's eyes remained locked on the ground. "I can't help you. My contact risked enough today. It was through him that I found out about the accident, as no-one else was around. But, no matter. I won't ask you to stop looking, as I know you won't. That would be a complete loss of time, but there's something I can ask you to do; whatever it is that you want to know, promise me, all of you, namely Sakura-"-woman in question stepped forward, challenging the words-"-that you will not confront Sasuke about it."

"Why?"

"In the past six years, the only person to deal with him has been Naruto. No words, no actions can reach Sasuke right now. And…"

And… Ha-ha. Oh, Kakashi-sensei, so mysterious you were, it wasn't going to work, though… Not at all. And that thing clutching Kiba's heart?

Just… a figment of imagination… Kiba's imagination.

Kiba put a hand over his heart.

Sai shook his head. "There must be something we can do."

"You can. But as I said, avoid Sasuke. Naruto might be more willing, but that's difficult to say. Either way, it's guaranteed that if you keep asking, you will eventually stumble on something. Whatever it is, however…" Kakashi pulled his mask up, the Sharingan hidden, deactivated. "Even I can't tell."

Why was it that they were this clueless? Anything would have helped. Hell, even a bark – and why was Akamaru so quiet? Why was this so complicated?

"Promise me, Sakura."

"We will do everything."

"Sakura."

"And I will do anything."

Kakashi turned his back to them, trying his hand at coming off as nonchalant even if his aura possessed a certain broken quality, like that of a person who'd not slept in eternity.

"You are no longer children. I can only warn you and it's up to you what you decide to do about it. The way it is now… Years ago, when it started, no-one paid attention. Every person in Konoha turned blind to Uchiha Sasuke's presence. I believe this ignorance has finally come to haunt us. Hopefully, Naruto won't have to take the full hit for us all."

And afterwards, Kiba ignored the man's presence. Whether he walked, crawled or swam off, he didn't know, only that his parting words had left their minds reeling and eyes heavy. Hinata… Poor, darling Hinata looked on a verge of tears, but Sakura… She, perhaps, looked the most torn; a part of her seemed to have opted for blind determination that acknowledged no obstacles, whereas the other – sat there, crying, a small, lost little thing.

_No. Not if I can help it._

Teeth gritted, lips drawn in a straight, firm line, cheeks flushed a kindled shade of red, Kiba stepped forward. "Chouji's coming from his mission tomorrow. He's still close friends with Shikamaru. I'm sure the guy knows more than even he's aware of. Then, in two days, Tenten and Neji. Lee and his team should be coming back shortly. We gather everyone. Kakashi-sensei said confronting Sakura wasn't a good idea. I agree. So we avoid him. We don't need to speak to him. And we don't need Shikamaru solving all mysteries for us. Now, we're all jounins. I say we use all years of experience and find the truth. We're no longer the kids, we don't need to rely on the grown-ups to help us. We are the grown-ups now. Bit after bit, we can piece together this puzzle and find out what exactly is going on between Sasuke and Naruto."

"Y… yes… we are friends…"

"And Naruto-kun is also the Hokage. We protect him like he's protected us in the past."

"As friends, as comrades, as-"

Kiba scoffed, the sound almost a mad growl, and shook his head. "No. It's more than that. _We are nakama_. We do this together."

Whereas his previous refusal to see their point of view had resulted in many evil eyes sent in his direction, this time all eyed him with gratitude and hope, like he'd said exactly what they needed to hear, like his words alone bore the strength they needed to do this. For a moment, Kiba didn't believe he could do it, but as all moved, as the tenseness left the surrounding area within a blink of an eye, he changed his mind.

They could do this.

If not to protect Naruto from Sasuke, then, at least, to protect the village from their feud.

"Alright, guys." Sakura spoke up. "This is how we're going to do this."

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

Naruto moved to a sitting position.

It hurt. Hurt. Hurt. _Hurt._

So much.

Nothing helped repel it, nothing stopped the recall.

The recall.

Recall. Ing. Of that memory. His chest hurt. He gritted his teeth. Felt immense, overpowering anger.

"I don't… care who you are." The body slid off the bed. Via the open window, moon sent its silver beams inside. "Or who sent you to kill me." Heat. So. So much. Heat.

Red. Red. Like Sasuke's eyes. Like the chakra coming off his body, forming the tail behind.

"But I can tell you one thing, buddy."

Rigid, possessed by wrath, he turned his body around, meeting the two men behind.

"You came at the wrong time, because I'm feeling _really pissed off right now_."

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

Another body.

She felt her lower lip curl over the upper. "Brat, you're doing this on a purpose."

"They keep coming."

"In small groups. Don't you find it a bit suspicious?"

"I do."

She hmp'ed and put on plastic glove; the material made an unpleasant noise, like the one of many snakes writhing in a small bundle. The vivid mental picture sent shivers down her spine before she grabbed the nearby scalpel, successfully distracting herself for long enough that soon, it was gone.

"The last few vivisections were quite for naught. What are you even looking for?"

"A sign."

"Right. You are aware that you're going to have to tell Naruto soon. He should be informed. After all." She observed the dead body carefully, noting the windpipe had been slashed in one smooth, clean cut like in all previous cases, and that no-one had bothered with closing the poor bastard's eyes yet. "He should know his advisor keeps offing these small assassins one after another."

Shikamaru made a grimace and shrugged.

A sigh slipped from her lips and thus, for the fourth time in the past week, Tsunade closed the man's eyes, either hoping to avoid the questioning, deadened gaze, or the guilt she felt whenever another autopsy proved pointless.

"Stupid idiots showing up one after another, don't they know Naruto's well protected? Why do they even want to attack him?"

"I don't know yet. They charge like lunatics and even if we happen to get one alive they swallow a pill with poison and die within moments. Like the last one."

"Ah. That foam. Disgusting. That was a particularly strong poison, too; kills a human being within seconds. And there is no cure. I don't think they make these poisons with a cure on their mind. No, the intention is to kill, always to kill, no mistakes permitted… Do you realize how dangerous it is? We still don't know who's sending them or why exactly they're after Naruto, only that one just conveniently happened to reveal that information before committing suicide and leaving us with nothing more than guesses."

"At least we know for sure they don't coat their weapons in the poison."

"How do you know?"

"Because," a new voice said, entering the small operation room through the metal door on its far end, marching swiftly over to the tables with corpses and stopping only to look down at one of them, the look in his eyes implying the sight of cut open bodies was as daily an occurrence as breathing. "One happened to cut himself once and suffered no attack."

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. "They're not prepared, it's like they're not even taking it seriously. Che… Decoys. Someone's trying to keep us busy while the real attack is to happen elsewhere. And not by their hand."

Tsunade could have hit the boy but her hands were too busy pushing the insides aside and looking for something that simply wasn't there. "Fantastic, so why am I doing this again? I doubt whoever is in charge has left anything for us. All of them come clean and there's nothing. Ibiki, have you found out anything?"

The man's gaze hardened, his unique way of saying no and Tsunade groaned. "Ugh. Why am I doing this."

Shikamaru had to understand the nature of that question to be rhetorical and yet he decided to answer it. Smartass. "Because you'd never let anyone ever harm Naruto."

"Che, brat…" Something occurred to her. "How is he?"

"Pretending to be tough again."

"The boy is tough," added Ibiki, as if to remind them Naruto was still their Hokage.

"He is, but what Sasuke said and did…"

"Uchiha Sasuke is slowly becoming a hindrance."

"Perhaps," admitted Shikamaru slowly, prompting a questioning quirk of an eyebrow from Tsunade. "But he's Naruto's hindrance and as long as Naruto keeps him under his wing, no-one can touch Sasuke."

"That's the problem, Naruto's too protective over him," grumbled Tsunade, brows furrowing greatly above her eyes. "You can't ever criticize anything the Uchiha boy does without getting an evil eye from Naruto. Strangely enough, it works the other way around, too. Honestly, I've no idea what those two have going on, but it's starting to worry me."

Ibiki nodded, acknowledging her – complaint? – and Shikamaru muttered something under his breath.

"It's slowly becoming an issue for everyone. Kakashi and Yamato are looking into it already and I've a feeling they're getting help from other jounins. Sakura, Ino and Hinata already suspect a thing or two and I'm sure the others will be let on the secret soon enough."

"Must be annoying to know you have all the answers they seek," commented Ibiki but Shikamaru pretended not to have heard him.

"Tsunade-sama, found anything yet?"

Tsunade's brow twitched. "No. There is nothing."

Nothing.

Because none of the previous assailants had-wait.

Her eyes narrowed just a friction. Under her finger, she felt a small, sharp fragment of something so far unrecognizable, hidden behind the left kidney and close to the muscle tissue. She removed it tenderly, feeling the slightest mishap could ruin the potential evidence, lifting it to her eye-level, hoping a closer inspection would reveal to her the strange origins of this impossibly small object.

"Tsunade-sama, what's that?"

"I'm not sure yet… It looks like… It appears to be metallic. Hm." Ibiki offered an oval-shaped bowl with water, wherein she placed the object and, not caring for the potential mess, lifted the dead body, turning him slightly to the side, eyes focused on the bared skin on his lower back.

"Huh. There's a wound."

"Wound?"

Her eyes narrowed. A small, perhaps an inch-long scar marred the man's skin, thin and looking unhealed, as if he'd sustained it only a day or so ago and not paid it much attention. "Hm. Odd… He looks to have been stabbed just before one of our ultimately put him to his rest."

"Can you tell what caused it?"

"Hard to say. Perhaps a kunai? I'd have to… Ugh. It'd take longer, but I could find out what had caused it. My guess is a kunai and the piece we found had probably come off it during the blow. But I don't know how this helps. We can't go looking around for people with slightly damaged kunais, that'd be looking for a needle in a haystack."

"Unless we try a different approach." Shikamaru looked thoughtful. Tsunade liked that, for it meant he'd come up with something.

"Rather than wonder who'd stabbed him, let's ask ourselves – why?"

Although in this time, she'd have to suggest the guy to take a rest at all lest he got thwacked for speaking nonsense.

Ibiki, strangely on the same wavelength as her for a change, didn't look persuaded. "That's even worse, it could have been anyone, friend or foe alike. And anytime."

"Not anytime," corrected him Tsunade scornfully, the body placed securely back onto the table.

"No matter."

"No. I think it matters. It matters a lot." Shikamaru slowly walked around the table and looked down at the dead man's face, his eyes beseeching and the wheels reeling. "A stab in the back… However unprepared they were, they'd still put a considerable fight, showing they weren't unnecessarily unskilled, just not properly informed. Something tells me there's a person behind this all, manipulating their actions from the shadows… I don't believe any of them would have been foolish enough to get injured right before a mission, not when the mission is to assassinate the Hokage. Whoever you are, you don't walk around with flesh wounds that could prove you a liability to a mission this big."

Ibiki's eyes closed. "So maybe the man's wound didn't matter, because his life didn't matter either. Are you saying… What _are_ you saying? That we're looking for a sadistic man who hypnotizes his men, leaves them injured and sends them on a mission knowing they'll die?"

"And maybe he stabs them too. But why… Why let someone go on a mission when they're injured… The person had to know they'd be defeated easier this way and decoys or not, their main purpose is to distract and stall, not pose a myriad of questions and arouse suspicion. Of course, this could mean… It could have happened right before the mission."

"Do you think this is a message? A warning?"

"Maybe… But not for us."

"For who then?"

"That I have to find out." Without further ado, Shikamaru walked out the room, leaving no place for doubt he'd returned to his Hokage.

Tsunade let out a deep sigh and removed the gloves, throwing them unceremoniously into the trash bin.

"This is getting too complicated."

"Tsunade-sama, do you know anything?"

"No," she snapped and ran her fingers through her hair. "I wish I knew more. Granted, if Shikamaru only hadn't had the stupid seal placed on him and if Naruto wasn't such a stubborn brat, we wouldn't have to be doing this at all, but ugh… I wonder, Ibiki, who could be doing this? Sending so many decoys our way, knowing they'll die and trying so obviously hard… Is the mastermind hoping to get our attention?"

"That's one of the possibilities."

"Huh. Well, alright then. He got it." Her muscles twitched. A surge of anger went up her spine. "He sure got it. He better know, though, that I won't let anyone mess with Naruto. Not him. Not any pathetic assassin."

The autopsy done and successfully performed, she stepped away from the table, allowing Ibiki to take care of the remains, her eyes burning with cool, calculated anger.

"Least of all, not any Uchiha Sasuke."

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, but the story idea is mine alone.

**A/N:** Another awfully long chapter… And I actually had to cut it short – Short, short! The blasphemy of that word! – because I had 9000 words written and I thought "okay, oops"… Yeah, and to think I started working on this, fearful I would barely get 5000 words… Huh. Okay. About this particular chapter, things are still confusing and they still be for a while. But only a while. The introductions are almost over; you know almost everyone's thoughts regarding the matter, have been introduced to the main issues and now we can move onto the actual solving part and on more Sasuke and Naruto. Although, poor Naruto, right? Hopefully, Sasuke doesn't get used to threatening his friends. We wouldn't want that. Right? … Right? … Oh, look at me getting conveniently distracted by a shiny object!

**Translations: **

**Nakama **– taken from wiki, it means a "colleague, compatriot, friend or comrade"; in one particular translation of One Piece that I read, the translator said nakama had a far stronger meaning than friend and I thought I'd really like one of the characters in my story using it : )

_In next chapter, Lee is youthful, Tsunade isn't Kakashi, Sasuke re-appears with a warning, Gaara and Naruto finish their conversation and Naruto confronts Sasuke._

**Rating:** PG-13 for themes, blood, swearwords (most of which have yet to make an appearance).

**Summary:** At twenty two, Naruto has achieved all; a Hokage at last, a man respected and loved, he rules his nation with compassion and understanding, bringing together lost families and friends, and disposing of those that dare oppose his peace. And Sasuke ever-so-faithfully stands by his side, an unchanging status for almost six years, and after these six years, people, villagers, their teachers and friends finally start to ask: "What is happening between Naruto and Sasuke?"

**Setting:** Six years after the Fourth Ninja War, so all ages have been changed accordingly. Naruto is the Hokage, but how exactly he achieved the status will be revealed step-by-step, along with many other details related to the "rookie nine" and all other characters.

**Warning:** There will be no OCs, only, perhaps, some OOCness which I'm partial to as anyone else, so that's excusable. Don't go around calling this yaoi, as Sole isn't yaoi, it merely contains strong _shounen-ai _hints. The purpose of this story is not to indulge anyone's perverse fantasies involving Sasuke and Naruto, but to elaborate further on the complex relationship they share as demonstrated in both manga and anime. With that said, I **love** the pairing, but I'm not promising anything. _Story will contain basic Japanese honorifics._

_Thanks for reading. Remember to R&R! x)_

_If you have any questions, add them in a review or message me personally :)_


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter_four__Re_p**e**nt

"Youth! YOUTH! I can't hear you! Youth-youth-youth. Feel it, my youthful students_, feel_ it."

Steam came from his ears.

The two present gennin merely stared; anyone nonchalant enough to deal with Lee's antics and not feel dismayed by his speech would possibly pat him on the shoulder and murmur supportively the children had gotten used to him already and would no longer cower in fright or scream along.

Well, Lee didn't care. His gennin were youthful. Full of youth. Also, they were short human beings that he sometimes lost sight of as he tended to look far ahead and not pay heed to the little ones trailing diligently behind him-but that was a-okay because it didn't happen that often!

"Lee-sensei, Matsu is lost."

… Oh.

"We find Matsu-kun!" Never mind, going on. One foot boldly placed in front of him, hands on his hips and the bowl-cut gleaming with youthful perfection, Lee directed his eyes onto his shivering pupils and smiled.

"Don't worry, Matsu-kun we will find."

The only girl in his team – as was the custom – twirled a strand of pretty brown hair between her fingers, foot digging coyly at the ground. "Sensei, but we lost Matsu-kun an hour ago."

"… Oh… Oh."

Something went up his spine, forcing him to straighten up rigidly and look towards the blue sky. "GAI-SENSEI. I WILL NOT DISAPPOINT! YOUTH!" And proceeded to thrust a fist into the air, the thumb outstretched, tears running in waterfalls down his cheeks.

The chirping of birds accompanied him.

Yet half an hour later, he seemed to have lost some of that passion, for poor Matsu-kun was nowhere to be found and the other two children, an adorable-looking boy named Nomura and the most darling girl ever named Fuuko, were getting slightly despaired.

Caving fully, the boy spoke at last, the voice a combination of discontentment and exasperation. "Ne, Lee-sensei, are you sure Matsu went this way? I mean, you don't even know where he went."

Lee stopped dead in his tracks and whipped his whole body around to pierce the boy through and through with his blazing, _passionate_ eyes. "Nomura-kun, your rival has gotten lost. It is absolutely imperative that we seek him now."

"Yeah, sure…"

Distaste or not, Lee remained immune to it, instead looking about and wondering where the boy had gone off to. Certainly not too far, right? After all, they weren't far from Konoha and he'd heard him complain about wanting to go home already… Maybe he'd skipped far ahead and was already enjoying a bowl of his mother's homemade meal? … Lee trembled all over.

_Such determination. I'm proud of you, Matsu-kun._

"Heh, che. This could go much faster if we could sense chakra control. But we can't, 'cause we can't control it, 'cause our sensei can't use chakra at all."

Lee winced.

"Nomura-kun, you musn't," hissed the girl, clamping a hand at once over the boy's mouth. A staring contest commenced immediately afterwards. Lee looked over his shoulder at the scene, an odd sensation he'd not felt in years swarming his mind.

"Fuuko-chan, it's alright. He is right."

The girl looked away from Nomura. Lee's only comfort was, perhaps, that instead of victory, shame resided in the boy's eyes.

He smiled.

"Ah, you remind me of my old days, when I wanted to learn everything and become a powerful ninja so I could protect everyone."

The girl's eyes landed on him with admiration. "Did you?"

Nomura sulked. "Fuu-chan, don't ask stupid question."

Lee stretched his arms over his head, a resounding pop nastily echoing around as the shoulder blades fell into place. "Of course. And our Hokage made my dream come true. He gave me my own students to teach the way of ninja to. To teach you _nindo_."

The boy, Nomura, was a bit haughty at times. It appeared the boy hadn't completely gotten over the fact he wouldn't be taught by one of the students of the Legendary Sannin as the children usually hoped for, but Lee recognized the shine in his eyes, the bubbling, shyly so, passion underneath.

_See, Naruto-kun. This generation isn't so lost after all. Still they want to become ninjas. And fight. _

"F-fine…" The boy blushed. "Let's go… looking for my rival then."

"Well put, Nomura-kun."

Fuuko brightened up a bit, her face lit up like a lantern. "Ne, ne, sensei, if we hurry up, we can still see the Sand delegation, right?"

"Of course. Kazekage-sama is scheduled to leave tomorrow."

"Wa~h… I heard Kazekage-sama was so dreamy." She blushed furiously.

Nomura bristled. "Don't tell me you like him more than our Hokage-sama."

"What? Well… Tee-hee…"

"Ah. Traitor. Traitor!" A finger was pointed at her, accusatory. "Sensei, we have a traitor among our ranks. I say we cook her."

"_No_. Yah, please Sensei, don't cook me!" As fast as her legs could carry her, she ran over to Lee and grabbed his green spandex shirt in her hands.

Nomura persisted _ferociously_. "Nu-huh, you betrayed our village. For that, we must cook you. Attack, Matsu!"

From behind the nearby bush, looking like he'd just woken up, disheveled, grumbling under his breath, but fired up, Matsu charged and both boys tackled Fuuko to the ground, wrestling her for a few moments during which screams of "No, no, no!" (Fuuko) and "Such passion" (Lee) were heard, until-

"NO!"

"Sensei, help us!"

"Helhumph-"

A short moment later, silence settled around.

Fuuko stood up and scoffed, indignant. "There. Serves them right. And Matsu-kun, I can't believe you were hiding all this time. Hmp. Sensei, praise me."

Lee laughed, boisterous. "Such youth in you, Fuuko-chan. You make me proud."

From the ground, the two boys glared, beaten up and covered in miniature bruises strewn all across their bodies.

"Sensei, aren't you going to punish Matsu for hiding?" asked Fuuko.

"No. I'm sure Matsu-kun knows not to do it again, right?"

Said boy nodded. "I'm sorry, sensei. Nomura and I made a bet that you wouldn't find me at all. I won't do it again."

"Thank you, Matsu-kun. And please, don't climb up the trees next time, some animals were still trying to sleep."

"Will do, sensei."

Lee smiled widely and turned in the direction of Konoha. A few seconds later Matsu's surprised yell echoed around.

"Eh? Sensei, how did you know I-"

"It's simple." Lee stopped in his tracks and turned around; the early morning sun reflected off his hair only further pronounced the general strangeness of his looks, but, despite that, he managed to look plain _cool._ "I saw you. Everyone, I'm your sensei. I always know where you are. Matsu-kun, remember it next time. We are a team. Now, as a team let us walk home and prove the youth is strong in us."

The three children gawped, jaw slack, eyes bulged out, silently impressed.

No more protests were heard afterwards, as with newly regained vigor – and a certain amount of shame, too – the three marched behind Lee, walking onwards without any stop whatsoever. Once the western gate came to view, the children whooped and Lee grinned, feeling they'd made great progress that day and deserved the exhilaration.

"Say, Lee-sensei, can we get some food? As a team?" chirped Fuuko to his right, the suggestion followed by enthusiastic nods from the other two.

Lee smiled, victorious – oh, bonding, so beautiful! – and went to tell them a thing or two, yet another wisdom to share, before a female voice coming from ahead interrupted him.

"Lee! Lee, good to see you."

"Ah, Tenten! Everyone, this is my teammate. And that man over there-"his eyes burned, two small flames embedded in them; a shaky finger landed on the man's figure and Lee roared like a beast. "NEJI-KUN, MY RIVAL!"

Neji sighed.

Tenten laughed and motioned for Lee to come over, who did so gladly, the three children trailing behind until the group met nearby the gate.

"Neji-kun, Tenten, good to see you."

"Yeah, same here. We expected to meet you tomorrow, but finished our mission one day early," explained Tenten gingerly. To her side, Neji was faking being oblivious to Lee's presence.

_Ah, my eternal rival… So passionate!_

"Oh, I see, I see. So your power of youth has not failed you yet."

"… Ha-ha. No. Anyway, this means we're on time for the delegation, right?"

"Yes. Naruto-kun and Gaara-san…_Oh_."

Now, he wasn't quite sure why, but everyone, his loyal students included, took one tentative step away.

Possibly, he would have inquired why, or, more than likely, further indulged himself in vivid mental pictures that included Naruto and Gaara and their youthful fighting spirits, hadn't it been for a presence making itself known and a person slowly walking in their direction. Whereas he didn't immediately recognize the all-familiar chakra as the looks on Tenten and Neji's face betrayed, he still knew the footsteps.

"_Minna-san._" The person stopped. A rational voice in the back of his mind stopped him from acting on that love-crazed, colored red instinct. "We need to talk to you."

"We? Is there something wrong, Sakura?" The ever-serious Neji looked her up and down, noticing, perhaps, a thing that escaped all non-Hyuuga ninjas' attention.

Sakura's eyes landed in turn on each face, before her mesmerizing greens closed, the cherry lips parted, and a heavy sigh escaped her.

"The rookie nine is gathering again. We need your help. It concerns you all. It's about Naruto. And Sasuke."

Lee placed a hand on Matsu's spiky head.

"Guys, go on ahead, I'll meet you later at Ichiraku's." The children, hesitant, passed by them and, clueless, followed Lee's order. Once their backs disappeared completely in the distance, once certain of no more disturbances, Lee's eyes fell on Sakura's figure and he nodded.

"Sakura-san, lead the way."

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

The ANBU guard by the door looked at him… Or so Shikamaru thought. He really could never tell with those guys, but at least them being always hot on Naruto's heels was actually for their Hokage's well-being and not out of some anger-laden, wondrous reasons self-proclaimed as the conundrum of the year, because he definitely knew of one person guilty as charged of that.

"Has Hokage-sama come out his chambers yet?"

"No, not at all."

Shikamaru looked at the door leading to Naruto's private rooms. "When was he last seen?"

"Six hours ago, I believe."

"Hm… So at 1 a.m. then. And-"

"Uchiha Sasuke hasn't been seen since, not even in Hokage-sama's quarters."

Damn, so everyone in the building had learned by now what questions he'd ask and in which order. It was his mistake, though, undoubtedly, for asking the three same questions every morning; Naruto's whereabouts, Sasuke's whereabouts and then an innocuous inquiry if Naruto was up and about. Oh, well, might as well humor them.

"Is he-"

"No. Hokage-sama is still asleep."

Shikamaru snickered. "Thanks. I'll go wake him up."

"Understood."

Both guards stepped aside and Shikamaru waddled over, the lazy quality in his step a familiar world to all around; nothing suspicious, nothing peculiar and, he was certain, whenever that quality morphed to assume a different form, it caused great ruckus, as if the sky was about to come crashing down on them. Hilarious, if he only bothered to laugh this early in the morning.

_Ah, well, might as well go wake him up… Hopefully, he's not feeling too dejected. It gets contagious after a while…_

With ease he pushed the door open, not bothering with knocking and boldly stepping inside, into the darkness of Naruto's bedroom interrupted only by the occasional cheeky sunray streaming inside through the window. The door closed and Shikamaru recognized Naruto's figure on the bed.

Still, asleep… Way too still. In fact, when did Naruto start sleeping awkwardly on his back? … And since when did he wake up to the stench of blood?

"_Damn_. Naru-"

A hand clamped around his mouth shut him up. Shikamaru cursed himself in his mind, wondering if he'd die now and if he'd really failed his friend; if the friend had been stupid enough to wallow in self-pity far too intently, enough he'd not see the threat looming nearby, enough the threat would swallow him all up and leave only his cold body behind-

"Shikamaru."

The breath he'd been holding – released at once. The hand left his mouth and Shikamaru whipped around.

"Naruto," he hissed. "You almost gave me a heart attack. And who's that?"

_And why are you in sage mode?_

Frog-like eyes more radiant and deadlier than the sun above pierced coolly into Shikamaru's, the serenity behind them, as he knew, a direct result of the nature chakra flooding his mind.

"Assassins."

"Plural. There were more?"

"Two. Attacked me last night."

"Ugh, you can't be serious."

Acting as if his utmost wish was to take a stroll past two – _two_ – dead bodies, Naruto trudged towards the balcony, a large blood smudge on his otherwise perfectly white clothing, a few droplets of blood in his hair.

"You got attacked and you didn't notify anyone? Ugh. Please, tell me I'm dreaming," he moaned, cradling his throbbing head in the left hand. "I have to-"

"No."

"Funny. Really funny. I almost just heard you say _no_ to letting your guards know their Hokage had been attacked by assassins in the deep of the night."

Naruto looked at Shikamaru from the corner of his eyes. If Shikamaru could have, he'd have slapped the man for looking almost bored with the situation, like he got assassins sent after him every day – he did, sure, but that wasn't the point – and he'd tired of it already, wishing for an uprising of sorts to stir up his immensely monotonous life.

Of course, right then, Naruto proceeded to shoot him an obligatory look of grief that'd taken permanent residence in his eyes, and Shikamaru's body hunched over in dismay, knowing he'd lost. Already.

"Fine. I won't let them know. _Yet._ What happened? And why didn't you let anyone know?"

"Eh. Well… I guess I was too angry. I mean, I wanted to. But… They said something. And it got me thinking. I wanted to figure out what they'd meant, so I just focused and… Yeah. Sage mode. The next thing I know, you're coming inside."

"That's a very elaborate plan." He groaned. And the stench… How come no-one had noticed the stench of blood and death coming from Naruto's room? "And what did they tell you?"

"Any idea how they got in?"

Shikamaru blinked. "Tons."

"Such us?"

"This is… not the time."

"Humor me."

"Naruto-"

"Does any of them include someone betraying me and showing them a way in?"

Shikamaru's heart slowly froze. "You're saying…?"

"Yeah." Naruto's eyes narrowed, focused on the ground, the confusion carved so deeply into his eyes the captivating blue could have been ignored, or gouged out and stabbed and mutilated but to no avail; still some residual confusion would remain, now a part of him.

"One of them said something like that… I mean, they weren't really like assassins, they got defeated really quickly so I thought it was odd, but like okay, you know? Just before I could call anyone, one of them told me they got in this time, they'd get in next. And said, laughing, they had someone on the inside. Helping them. Then they died. Just like that. Seemed to swallow something and that was the end of it."

Shikamaru did not stall behind any longer, quickly walking over to Naruto – body momentarily enraptured by fear as he glanced the look in Naruto's eyes, rendering him incapable of movement until the hand, driven by urge to comfort, rose to land on Naruto's shoulder.

"Did you believe them?"

"Yeah… I mean… How else would you explain them getting in? I mean, I know I'm well guarded. Better than Konoha itself," he snapped out, voice laced in much bitterness that prompted Shikamaru to roughly turn Naruto around until their faces, a miserable inch apart, reassured him that his foolish friend did not miss the look in Shikamaru's eyes.

"Listen to me, Naruto. You're protected this much because you are the Hokage. You are this village's hero. Our icon and idol. Don't belittle your people by underestimating the need to protect you."

Naruto shook his head. "I should be the one protecting them-"

"You already did-"

"So what, I do it once and it's over? That never ends, Shikamaru."

"You stubborn mule."

A scoff. Then Naruto grinned. "Rich coming from you."

"Naruto…"

"What now?"

Maybe it was the resolve. He wasn't sure. He could have tried digging around in his mind for a few but that was unnecessary, for his lack of knowledge lay in the obstinate refusal to admit the truth to himself. And nothing else. The truth – that he needed to protect him. His hands, the fingers, dug into Naruto's shoulders, holding him close and something came over Naruto's face – a dark shadow, shock represented, but Shikamaru couldn't waste time pondering when exactly he'd become this fierce and protective.

"No-one in Konoha would betray you. No-one."

"Heh…"

"Naruto!"

Stubborn idiot. Stubborn fool. _Their_ stubborn fool.

"No-one would do that to you, betray you, turn their backs on you or lie to you."

Naruto lowered his face. "Ah… Not even lie."

"No."

A hand on his face. Fingertips against his cheek. Shikamaru felt a shiver go up and down his spine. Something cool hit the bottom of his heart.

"Really. Funny. Because they also said they'd avenge their fallen brothers. That my people killed."

Naruto's hand fell away, slowly peeled Shikamaru's off.

"I want you to tell me everything. Everything you know."

Their eyes met.

There was something primitively disconcerting about the frog-like slits pierced through by Kyuubi's cat-like, like the horror fairy-tale come true, here to haunt you at last.

Shikamaru's eyes filled with regret. "That is…" How could he say no to him? Better yet, how could he have ever lied?

"… This would be fifth attack on you we're aware of. We've been deflecting them in the past week like crazy but they just keep coming in groups of usually two to four men. Well equipped. Powerful. But brash, irrational. I believe the assassins are not really there to attack you, but to warn you. Naruto, you're being targeted. Someone out there is sending you a message."

Naruto leaned back, a look of deep thought on his face. "That's not the whole story."

"No."

"Huh… Fine."

The Sage mode disappeared. Only the good old Naruto with his eyes bright blue and clear remained, although Shikamaru suddenly wasn't sure he was glad about that.

"Start. From the beginning. And tell me everything."

"Everything," echoed Shikamaru.

Around them, two dead bodies; outside the door, two unsuspecting guards. He wanted to scoff.

_Really, life has its way of letting you know it thinks so little of you._

Just briefly, he nodded and, mindless of their surroundings, started talking from the beginning.

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

The pouch felt heavy.

Ages ago, when she'd first glimpsed it, the obligatory question of what it was had immediately followed, coupled with that deceitfully innocuous teasing and eyebrow waggling which he'd dismissed as unimportant and thus undeserving of attention. Now, as he thought of it again, he realized some truth had hidden behind the words of love and affair she'd spoken in such frivolous nature, for weren't they more than friends? Weren't they – close?

He glanced at it, losing himself to the moment and dreading the instant of being awoken from it. So maybe, just maybe, Temari had not known much, but after the past two days – after witnessing that yesterday's early evening drama performance on the rooftop and following the next day the cool determination in his eyes, the act of unperturbed nonchalance that he'd exhibited over the course of the dialogues –, he felt she'd shared much wisdom with him.

Only, his poor, older sister would, dare he say, wish to strangle herself, no doubt, should she find out by any accident her words had even remotely hit the target.

Gaara shook his head and sat down on his bed.

He'd be leaving the village come tomorrow and all would be happy for, undoubtedly, the meeting had gone splendidly; in the past two days, the relations between their villages had strengthened to a point where telling one apart from the other could be a feat to overcome. The peace talks, the moments of shared placidity would remain fresh in their memories for as long as things remained stagnant and true to their nature.

For as long as that one brave, fearsome leader of Konoha would remain where he stood now, that one sole, shiny and bright spot in the sky. The star.

"Gaara."

The star stood in his room, one assigned to him by the man himself, as he'd been told. And right next to him, the rest of the delegation stayed, for loyal to him they all were, exactly as adamant in their refusal to leave his side.

He thought it… gentle.

And good. Yes… Maybe. Pretty?

"You have it."

And once more that voice of his.

Gaara closed his eyes.

The weight on the bed shifted to accommodate the newcomer, the cushions toppling sidewards, adjusting to the presence and pooling around the body with perfection.

No. Doubt.

And once more, that voice of his. "I kept mine, too."

Gaara's eyes opened, landing immediately on that hand similarly outstretched as his own, that small pouch laid out plain and simple on the calloused palm.

"They match," he commented.

Naruto laughed. "Of course they do. We got them for each other, remember? On that mission two years ago. We both went to Amegakure; me as a lowly ninja on a small mission, you as the big bad Kazekage to do some serious issue fixing. It was the last time we met before I got made the Hokage and then, yeah… No time to meet and all. Stupid politics."

In his mind, Gaara was comparing the size of the pouches, pondering if it could have shrunk over time, as if to symbolize the moments lost or the damage their friendship had suffered, but – no changes; unchanging, timeless both pouches looked, not a scratch, no a speck of dust on them, as if they'd gotten them only moments ago.

"I remember that day, yes," he whispered back.

Whisper. Why whisper? They were alone. It was late afternoon. That meant nothing, nothing at all-was he humoring himself?

Naruto's lilting tones echoed around. "Yeah. And there was this small girl selling these pouches, said she'd made them herself, said she didn't want to do war like everyone else but something pretty, something like a souvenir, something just to make people smile."

"To forget about war," he added, filling the silence that had threatened to follow Naruto's words.

"Yeah. Remember? She lived in this nasty, torn-up shack. Damn, it looked like it was about to fall apart any moment. I think she was kind of scared of us, right? Kept looking at us like we were going to take her head off, but then she took us to Konan's grave and helped us a bit. And then, then… Man, she made us these."

They were small pouches. An inch wide, two inches in height, thin, pressed – barely they weighed at all. Made of a material the shade of Venetian red, marred not by any pattern at all, a faded pink ribbon-look-a-like round the neck. Like a happy charm pouch, only not as glamorous, not as classy and chic, far too small to, maybe, matter at all.

Still, if asked, Gaara would deny any such accusations, and instead insist that the significance of the pouches lay not in the heart-gripping story behind their creation, but the existence alone that proved something; the existence blaring and strong that stood proud and still to remind all of its ever-lasting presence, for none could ever fake ignorance once more.

He knew what they meant. Those stupid, small things, an exchange started by the sentimental and grinning Naruto who'd first gotten it from the girl and thrust it into Gaara's hand, claiming that – that, for a long, long time, perhaps, they'd not see each other, and he didn't want him to feel alone ever again, not even remotely, not even hypothetically, and that always they should have on their minds the things they shared in common, the things which had, despite their initial throttling quality, established a connection between them, the things that had made them who they were.

Friends.

Friends…

And then, maybe foolishly, swayed, no doubt, by the proclamation, Gaara had bought another pouch and handed it over to Naruto.

So much sentiment in that one gesture. Really. Really… That was…

"I remember," he replied after a moment of silence, voice barely above whisper.

Naruto's hand enclosed around the pouch. "Huh, d'you think the girl's still out there, making these pouches to make people forget about the war?"

"I hope not," said Gaara. In a moment of complete vulnerability, he placed his hand above Naruto's. "That'd mean she's not made them forget. Not just yet."

His hand was so impossibly warm. It felt… Addictive? Was that the right word for it? Was it right to think of him this way when just a day ago that exact hand had been covered in blood?

"You're right. See, now I hope she doesn't sell them any longer. You know, I've no idea what's inside them, never really bothered looking," commented Naruto, oblivious to the thoughts plaguing Gaara's mind.

Gaara sighed. "Difficult to say. I never looked myself. It is a part of the charm, I'm assuming, not to know what's inside and believing anything could be stored in them."

Naruto didn't answer.

Had that been a question? Gaara mulled it over in his mind and then, startlingly, came to the answer that yes. A question.

An unspoken question.

And Naruto had yet to shrug him off.

Gaara's eyes slipped close. "It is a part of our belief, I think. There were moments when I felt tempted to look inside of mine, but never yielded into the desire to actually commit the deed. It is an act of deception, I believe, not knowing what to expect, not truly understanding what you're cradling to your chest, and yet believing its significance to be far greater than it, perhaps, deserves. But I prefer it this way, not of any desire for blissful oblivion, but because the symbol means a lot to me. What it represents… Our friendship, our bond, what we went through together, our loneliness vanquished."

At the worst time possible, right then, Naruto spoke – and pulled away. "Vanquished, eh?"

Silence.

It felt… unpleasant. Like noose pulled around his neck, tied exactly to match it, tighter and tighter with each passing thought – until he felt he couldn't breathe.

"Don't you think so, Uzumaki Naruto? Didn't your loneliness disappear?"

"Huh… Effectively gone. Wasn't that what we told each other right before departing? Remember."

Remember… Was that a command? Gaara glanced at him from the corner of his eyes and-

-his heart, the one he seldom ever used, explicitly or implicitly, for a childhood of tears had left it scarred and shriveled for good, suddenly, or not so suddenly-strong and feverishly, jumped to life-

-the strong, alluring thump-thump, thump-thump filled his ears, mind, body-soul.

Soul.

Mostly the soul.

Naruto was smiling at him. That bright, illuminating sun. Right then, the room got brighter. Naruto's golden hair shone and his eyes, should the man bother with opening them, would undoubtedly rival the sun with their radiance.

Such a sap he was.

"That we'd always remain friends. Didn't Kankuro laugh? Didn't he?" he was speaking, ignoring Gaara's stunned expression, ignoring the world for the time being. "Damn, guy said it looked like we were exchanging vows, getting married and all that. Hell, I remember he suggested where to go for the honeymoon. And no-one stopped him. Even Shikamaru and Sai laughed a little. It was nice. Really nice. For once… I didn't feel so _sole_."

"Naruto-"

"Point being!" Naruto stood up. He looked ecstatic, even despite the heavy implications of his words. Gaara had still the inkling Naruto wasn't spilling all his secrets and keeping, in fact, most of them safely tucked underneath the words of his. Yet with the sanguine man in front of him, with the mirth in his eyes, who was Gaara to deny him the pleasure of smiling back?

Naruto blinked and snickered. "Man… Point being, we told each other, promised each other we'd always be friends, always, no matter what. I almost lost my pouch not long ago. I was seriously frightened, it felt like it'd gone, but then I told myself – Naruto, you're being an idiot. Sure, it's a symbol. The pouches are our symbol."

Gaara stood to his feet. Naruto's eyes pierced him through and through.

He nodded. He understood.

Naruto continued. "But what's really important is not out of this world, it's not in this corporeal mess of got-to-dos and must-dos… It's here."

Next thing Gaara knew, he had Naruto's hand right above his heart.

Thump. Thump.

To low and pleasant tones it fell, pleasantly echoing in his ears, no longer that frantic, erratic race for time.

"Here. In our hearts."

Gaara laughed. Soft, rumbling sound slipped from his throat. "Uzumaki Naruto, you are something… Indeed, our hearts. That reality will never ever be warped."

"Never."

More laughter and then Naruto looked like Naruto; cheerful, full of life, smiling alongside Gaara, the bad mood lifted at last.

His hand slipped away and Gaara caught it just on time before it could fall back to hang by Naruto's side, his fingers wrapped firmly around it and never letting go. "Our friendship shall never be swayed by this world."

"Or anyone else," added Naruto. His other hand rested on Gaara's shoulder.

When Gaara thought about it, the story really struck him as unusual; two jinchuurikis doomed to a life of loneliness found each other and through patience and compassion achieved the status of a person loved and cherished the most and even if he no longer shared that common feature with Naruto, even if that naturally robbed him off certain privileges, still the uncanny resemblance remained. Still daunting, still with the dimples beautiful.

Naruto stepped away. "It's a promise," he started.

"Of a lifetime," Gaara continued.

Their hands connected. A firm, handshake followed. No more words were exchanged, not for a while anyway as both understood what the deceitfully simple gesture signalized; what deal they'd in all reality made.

And, hooked around the pinky fingers, bumping into each other here and there, were the pouches.

The warmth of Naruto's hand didn't disappear even with the loss of contact.

"Ne, I should show you around now, take you out. How 'bout Ichiraku's?"

Back to small talk? Gaara briefly looked at his hand. "Sure. If you don't mind… But if he appears even this time, I cannot promise to you that my guards won't retaliate."

"Nah, don't worry."

Gaara peered up at him and inwardly heaved out a sigh of relief; assuming Naruto would react badly to the mention of him had almost cost him a few heartbeats, but obviously he'd been wrong in his hasty conclusion as Naruto's joy didn't waver. Not one bit.

Naruto looked out the window, eyes wide and smiling. "He's in the Uchiha district. Underground, too, so that's why they couldn't find him yet. He'll come out later, no worries, so he won't trouble us."

That Gaara wasn't sure he understood. "Are you not worried?"

"Nah… Sasuke will be alright. I'll be sure to meet him later, as he'll show up a little past midnight. I know the guy inside-out, so it's cool."

"I didn't quite mean that. He told you hated you."

Naruto tucked the pouch safely in his pocket, before turning on his heel and marching towards the door, intending to open it – or throw it open, no doubt, in an unmistakably Uzumaki Naruto-like boisterous fashion, but a step away from it he halted at once and turned around.

"Sasuke doesn't hate me."

Gaara stared.

Naruto's eyes, no longer open wide, were swarming with affection and warmth. "He can't live without me."

Gaara gave him a sad, knowing smile.

Naruto's hand rose a few inches, hesitating mid-air, contemplating a thing or two, then finishing its journey and touching the spot right above his own heart. "And I can't live without him… Come, Gaara. I trust you. As a friend. So I'll trust you with this secret too."

"You will…?"

Naruto nodded, the beckoning gesture of his hand laced with understanding.

"Yeah. I decided last night. I'll tell you everything. Starting…" He paused. "From the moment he killed me."

Whatever was said next, the last sentence right before Naruto faked ignorance and led him out the room to get that promised bowl of ramen together, chatting animatedly along the way and exchanging polite "afternoon's" with guards and other members of delegation, would remain carved inside Gaara's mind for all eternity and a second longer.

_Uchiha Sasuke killed Naruto…_

_What…? _

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

Tsunade-sama wasn't like Kakashi-sensei, as they were hoping, and would indulge them in their stories of conspiracies and secrets, but she was a bit like Uchiha Sasuke in a sense that finding her was truly an issue.

Also, Lee's frown had gotten a tad terrifying.

Sakura sighed. "Lee-san, you haven't told us yet, how did the meeting go?"

Lee looked at her. "I did as you instructed, watched Naruto-kun closely and there was nothing. He looked very calm as he welcomed me and my team back and congratulated us on a mission well done. The meeting took only a moment and then he sent us off to continue the peace talks. Shikamaru accompanied him. Now that I think about it, _he_ looked a bit uncomfortable…"

Sakura nodded. "Shikamaru did? Hm, makes sense. What about you, Neji-san?"

Neji stopped in his tracks and finally turned to them, looking as if he'd not seen them in hours when in reality they'd been searching together for the ex-Hokage for at least an hour. "I checked. Nothing. I believe it'd work out only if Sasuke were around, but he was nowhere to be seen and Naruto's chakra looked the same as I remembered it."

Sakura sighed and nudged Ino who'd been spacing it considerably since leaving her home a while ago and who barely even acknowledged the nudge and would have surely walked into the nearby wall hadn't it been for the light of hope up ahead.

Kiba and Hinata were standing up to fifty feet from them, waving their hands to get the group's attention and smiling.

"Yo! Found the baa-sa-I mean Tsunade-sama," said Kiba, hiding the wince as from behind him, the surge of dark, angry chakra was felt.

Sakura felt herself smiling. "Shishou!"

At once, the dark chakra was gone, replaced, for sure should Neji or Hinata be inquired about it, by a much more soothing sisterly version.

Tsunade smiled at Sakura tenderly. "Sakura, haven't seen you in a while. Anyway, you don't have to call me your shishou any longer, as you've long surpassed me. Also, this is quite the party you've gathered."

Sakura laughed and fretted, blush appearing on her cheeks. Everyone had stopped; Neji and Hinata, Kiba and Shino, Lee and Ino and Sai along with Tenten standing a bit further away were present. Sakura noted only Chouji and Shikamaru were missing, but dismissed her thoughts before she got carried away once more in expressing her displeasure with the situation.

"Yes, well, we need to talk to you about something. I'm sorry it's this sudden, shishou, but it's important. We believe only you can help us now."

"Now?" Tsunade's left eyebrow rose. "So you've tried asking others but they said no. Oh-oh, good to know I'm the last on your list."

Sakura shook her head. "No! Well… yes."

And why was she the one talking? Kiba had looked rather determined before and – why were they meeting at night again? The sun had set an hour ago and once more, shrouded underneath the blanket of darkness, she felt like a spy crouching by the walls, sneaking past all guards and preparing to do something potentially life-threatening, and all because they could never gather before sunset and had their own duties to attend to firsthand in the morning.

She almost sighed once more, but refrained from doing so; alright, quite the busy bees they all were, but at least they'd agreed on meeting her. Thank… god they all actually believed her… And shared her worries, Lee-san the most, probably, because even during the explanation he'd resembled a terrified child after witnessing the gruesome manslaughter of an entire cla-okay. Wrong… _Wrong_ comparison.

She shuddered. "It concerns Naruto and Sasuke," she quickly blurted out but the reaction wasn't all she'd expected.

For Tsunade gave a long, exasperated sigh and crossed her hands over her chest. "Ah, not you too. It looks the entire village is getting obsessed with solving the Naruto and Sasuke mystery. Alright, but let's go elsewhere."

Sakura took a step back and looked around to see if others were similarly confused; they were. Well…

"Um, shishou, you're not saying no…?"

"Should I be?" Tsunade shrugged. "You'd find out either way so it's only for the best that you find out now, when there's still time, and from a reliable source. Now, let's go, I won't say more here, the streets are still busy and I'd prefer not being overheard," she said.

Sakura, not knowing what else to add, merely nodded her pink head obediently and trailed right after Tsunade, who remarked coolly in a voice barely above whisper that they were heading towards a nearby secluded area, incidentally the backyard of the hospital mostly unoccupied unless during day, and it was decided some time in-between that a group this big would attract attention, hence team Neji departing and agreeing to meet them later, hence team Kiba doing the same and taking the other route, hence Sakura and Ino walking silently besides the woman, hence Sai trailing behind on the rooftops, not one saying a word.

Moments later, they arrived to the place where team Neji was already waiting for them, where team Kiba soon disappeared and where, in the middle of what appeared to be a clearing artificially created and small in size, stuck between the few trees, Sai jumped, stirring the dust, literally, and dusting himself off, no pun intended.

With everyone gathered – and gazing intently at Tsunade, something Sakura hoped to avoid for she understood the undesired effects of too hard an attention – Tsunade coughed, an unnecessary gesture to attract the attention she already had, and walked over to a nearby tree to lean against it. Behind them, the hospital loomed and Sakura resisted the urge for longing; her home, her job right there ahead of her, and here she stood in a place where she usually took her sickest of patients with no known cure in sight.

To think they'd discuss such grave matters here… She shuddered.

Tsunade noted it and her eyes softened. "As I said before, it was only a matter of time before you found out and it'd be best if it was from someone with firsthand information. And, besides, you're all jounins, you no longer need to be protected and I don't see a reason for keeping it such a secret… Also, I've been helping Kakashi and Shikamaru, so…" She heaved out a long sigh.

Sakura supposed they looked a tad disgruntled knowing things had been happening behind their backs, but no-one spoke a word and thus, without any interruptions, without even needing to know the questions, Tsunade continued.

"The exact thing between Naruto and Sasuke is a mystery to me, I only know from the few slips that they'd made a deal the day Madara was defeated once and for all and that Naruto had not escaped unscathed as we'd all initially thought. Having inspected him personally right afterwards, I know for sure that he sustained injuries were heavier than his current ones suggested. There was… a particular wound on his chest, right above the heart, shaped like a … As if…"

A frown marred her features. "As if he'd been punched through the heart but… And his chakra flow was different, just as Uchiha's. I remember seeing a few similarities between their chakras, but neither said a word and shortly afterwards, the changes disappeared. There was this one odd thing that I remember, a few months later, I didn't pay it much attention back then, but after one mission Naruto refused to be inspected… And a few days later, Shikamaru appeared with that seal. I didn't know about that detail, of course, and found out only a little over a year ago, but the stories add up; Shikamaru had the seal placed on him shortly after that mission with Naruto and has been his loyal advisor ever since."

Once more, she paused. There was no sound to disrupt her chain of thoughts. All present held their breaths – either that or they'd mastered the arts of breathing quietly, enough that Sakura realized she couldn't even hear her own; only the constant rising and falling of her chest signalized she was alive and as she looked around, a quick survey proved all to be facing the same situation.

She sighed. Tsunade eyed her and – was that pity in her eyes?

"As we all know, Uchiha Sasuke was released from his holding cell and freed of all charges a year later but also stripped of all privileges and made a lowly gennin." The frown deepened. "I believe it was a mistake to allow Naruto and Sasuke to take the following chuunin and jounin exams together."

"Then why did you?" Neji leveled Tsunade a hard, cold look and Tsunade shrugged.

"I had no other choice. Both were on a special jounin level and there was no point in keeping Sasuke around unless he was going to do something useful and assigning him a D or C-class missions would have been like poking him with a sharp stick every once a few hours and waiting for the blow. And Naruto deserved it. Unfortunately, no-one wanted to be teamed up with Sasuke so it was up to Naruto. The examiners later told me those two had a great teamwork, better than any they'd seen in years and there was no point in waiting any longer."

Neji nodded. "You believe these necessary steps you had to take resulted in them growing even closer."

Tsunade's deep sigh confirmed the suspicion. "Exactly. Without really knowing it, we kept adding fuel to fire and giving them only less of a reason to separate. In a way, there was no helping it. At that time, there was not one soul in Konoha willing to work with Sasuke, only Naruto. At first, I remember, it was this way and very few people spoke with Naruto out of fear of getting involved with Sasuke… Now, it's almost like… Ah, that matter has gotten so complicated over the years." She massaged her temples. "True, I had no choice back then. _We_ had no choice but to keep teaming them together. Shikamaru requested to join the team right before the jounin exams and then, as we all know, became Naruto's personal and closest advisor but even that turned out to be a mistake. We had no idea he already had the seal placed on him and had no damn idea the brat was forging documents and writing mission reports that weren't exactly true."

"Shikamaru always was the genius. Naruto couldn't have picked anyone better than him," murmured Ino offhandedly, prompting a few disapproving looks as they all agreed wholeheartedly on the matter.

"It is a pity," added Tsunade. "Shikamaru would have made a great ally, but with the way things are now, there're no chances of him indulging us."

"Tsunade-hime." Neji stepped forward. "Who else did you tell all this?"

"Hm, let's see… Kakashi who I believe to be working with Yamato and a smaller group of jounins from Konoha. Strangely enough, even Shikamaru came to me. It looked to me he was trying to see what we knew and apparently it's enough because he wasn't very pleased. On a completely unrelated note, you guys should all know there have been numerous assassination attempts on Naruto's life in the past week."

Ignoring their flabbergasted looks, she launched into an explanation mapping each odd occurrence of the group of unknown ninjas entering their village in the deep of the night and in the meantime Sakura thought.

While processing what was being said – while maintaining her cool and appearing unperturbed at all by the knowledge that Naruto's life was in danger – she attempted to organize her thoughts and all new findings in chronological order.

First, right after Madara's jutsu was lifted – with his death, no doubt – Naruto was found cradled to Sasuke's chest, half-dead but with enough willpower to pull him back from the other side and keep him alive. During the fight, he'd possibly been killed but… brought back? And subsequently made a deal with Sasuke, the result of which, perhaps, was the unusual pattern of both his and Sasuke's chakra. Afterwards, Sasuke got detained and imprisoned for treachery and working with the enemy, and months later Naruto and Shikamaru were sent on a harmless mission the real purpose of which was to keep Naruto's mind off the matter and have Shikamaru keep him as far from village as possible while Tsunade decided what to do with Sasuke.

But what then? What did Naruto tell Shikamaru? Because if it'd been the weight of the secret that dragged him down and eventually gotten him the seal of silence on his tongue, then Sakura wasn't sure; did she need to know what it was? Was it imperative they find out? Was it… Grief gripped her heart.

And afterwards, Naruto and Sasuke became chuunins and spent even more time together on and off missions, becoming attached at a hip and truly inseparable. Two years later, during which their status was temporarily frozen by Konoha leaders as if out of fear of letting them progress too fast, the equivalent of which, in their eyes, was giving up on own portion of power in favor of two impossibly powerful ninjas, they were made jounins. In most cases, that would have resulted in either being assigned a team of their own to train, but as the village leaders were still tentative in allowing anyone to handle Sasuke – and also letting him too far out of their sight without a trustworthy supervision – , he'd again been left in Naruto's hands.

Sakura thought it unfair; without asking for his opinion, they left Naruto a babysitter of a grown-up man simply out of own incapability to address the issue directly and, as she suspected, because that was the easier, simpler way, and, really, why the hell not since Naruto had only wasted many years of his life chasing after him?

She almost groaned. But what then? Afterwards, the facts were a tad blurred and only little was known about the era to come then and she found herself questioning a certain, very specific point that occurred a little over two years ago.

Neji, as if sensing where her wry thoughts were leading her, stepped forward and directed his gaze at Tsunade.

"I don't mean this as an insult, Tsunade-hime, and hopefully no-one present will be offended, but why did you appoint Naruto the next leader of Konoha?"

Upon that question, an unpleasant, unspoken deep murmur enthralled them all and Sakura, despite her best wishes, found herself scolding Neji's unspeakably accusatory words in her mind – and subsequently hoping for an answer.

As Tsunade's eyes narrowed, a silent inquiry of "dare you oppose me?", Neji coughed and shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, any of you; there is no Hyuuga that doesn't feel utmost respect for our fearless leader. We all consider Naruto a capable leader worthy of the title, it's just that knowing all this and being perfectly aware of the situation, why exactly would you have made him the Hokage? Even if he'd proven himself worthy, even if he'd done a great lot for us all and we're all immensely indebted to him, something our great-great-grandchildren will have to pay in blood, I believe, still it doesn't make sense. Wasn't it like giving him even more trouble? He had Sasuke to take care of, literally, for even we, the Hyuugas, thought the situation with him to be very fragile, like being perpetually stuck on walking on pins and needles around him, and yet at the moment of being most preoccupied you piled a great number of responsibilities on him." He paused. The words sank in. "Why, Tsunade-hime? Why did you do that?"

Sakura almost swallowed her heart; mulling Neji's words over in her mind from whichever side still brought her to the same conclusion, being that, possibly, Tsunade may have done a mistake by doing such a thing, that something else was in game here, that… That tiny detail she'd firmly believed she understood had now dissipated into nothingness.

Tsunade hid her face in her hands.

Sakura wanted to scoff; no, that had to be but a figment of her imagination, as wouldn't such a gesture equal to an admission of blame? Wouldn't it signalize even the woman herself had come to the same realization at one point or another? Wouldn't that mean… that… What?

Her mouth dry, Sakura eyed her master with an indignant stare of horror, hands rising up in a falsely comforting self-hug. "Shishou?"

Not a question, but a plea. Begging, pleading to the woman to deny all words or come up instantaneously with a witty comeback, a remark or anything that would prove Neji and all other gazes glued on her figure wrong.

But there was nothing.

_Nothing._

Sakura let out a shuddery breath. "_Shishou_…"

Tsunade looked towards the ground, teeth grazing over her lower lip, eyes filled with… Oh, no, not-"It wasn't about him deserving it. Yes, Naruto had proven himself worthy. After many years, how else were we supposed to reward him? He had all the qualities of a leader; strength, passion, desire to protect, understanding… Mostly that understanding. Out of anyone else, he understood us the most. How a flawed human beings we were, a parody of a human being because how else to call the ones to make so many mistakes? He never detested us for it, not even once… I believe at a certain point, we realized we deserved to be hated and realized he'd never give us that, because Naruto, despite being so young, understood the best that hatred bred only more hatred. Hatred bred pain and war… Heh, whether we like it or not, it was us who taught him that… Through pain, hatred and disregard for his best wishes, but we did…"

Right then, it looked like Neji regretted ever asking a thing. "Tsunade-hime, I apologize, I didn't mean to-"

"No." She moved. The body pushed off the tree. The eyes – glistering, yes, but determined and unrelenting. "You're not wrong to question such things. It wasn't out of pity that I picked Naruto, or because I wanted to humor him. I had no such whimsical and fickle reasons. My reason was that-"

"Out of everyone in the world, only Naruto was foolish and naïve enough to believe in the purity of one's heart, in the notion of goodness and ability to distinguish between right and wrong and that there was no such a thing as evil, because we all were an aftermath of this society's consentaneous actions and could only be judged after witnessing the effect of this society on us. Because he believed in never running out of second chances and that as long as you lived, giving up was simply a result of erroneous thinking. That made him special, that made him eternally forgiving and capable of loving all in equal measure. As someone who suffered the most, he understood the most. He could pass judgment and not be swayed by this abysmal society. He could fight for us and not get blood on his hands. He could do that and much more. He was and still is, without a doubt, the purest of us."

The eyes of blood locked on them.

Sakura's knees buckled underneath her body, gave out, gave her shame; a skilled ninja? Her? Seriously? Really? Because that was funny – she was skilled and yet, under his eyes, under his hard, piercing eyes that could have weighed a ton, she acted like her twelve-year-old counterpart.

Weak and powerless.

And Uchiha Sasuke, nonchalant of that, walked on, the steps of his thundering around even despite the non-existent sound created as each foot connected in turns with the ground below, as slowly an unfathomable beckoning urged him forward deep into the circle of friendship they'd all formed.

With all eyes on him, ponderous, wondrous and exaggerating in fright, he continued, speaking in lulling low undertones both pleasant in endeavor and intricately interwoven with the beginnings of hate. _And regret_. "No-one else could have filled the position but him. It wasn't merely about skill, as the Hokage, albeit a powerful ninja, most first assume the position of a person loved and cherished. Things like power come last. And Naruto had that. You'd have to be blind and stupid not to see that."

He stopped.

Sasuke didn't dress like a jounin, didn't wear the traditional clothing jounins usually did. Even now after many years his clan's crest was embedded in the back of his clothing, even now he retained some of his previous style, wearing comfortable and a bit looser clothing that gave some interested girls a good view of his chest. Then the mandatory bandages around his kneecaps and wrists, the kunai pouch around his waist, the sandals molded perfectly to fit his feet, the katana sharper than any blade around by his side. Even now his hand rested on its hilt, reassuring the present party no hesitation would mar his actions should he desire to attack them.

And even now Sakura didn't doubt they'd lose.

Sasuke's Sharingan eyes narrowed. If anyone wondered how much he'd heard, then with his following words, the mystery was solved. "I don't know what you guys think you're doing, but I suggest you leave it be. Naruto and I are none of your concern. It'd be only in your best interests to stop sticking your nose in this."

And that was it. Show was over. Lord Uchiha had marched over to let his displeasure be known and now he stood there, almost expectant to be agreed with wholly so His self-proclaimed Majesty could once more be off to cater to his royal needs.

Sakura looked towards the ground.

No, that wasn't it… Sasuke couldn't possibly expect them all to agree, he was… Waiting to be opposed? But why would he? Would that-that meant-

_Oh, no…_

She looked around frantically, but tried in vain to stop them using body language only, because she somehow couldn't force herself to move, because her body had frozen as the realization had hit her, because Sasuke wanted precisely it – to be denied his right.

To be fought.

Tsunade reacted first. "What the hell do you think you're asking us to do, Sasuke?"

Kiba came second. "The hell, Sasuke, are you insane?"

Ino followed. "What, totally hoarding Naruto for yourself, but why?"

Hinata dejectedly cried out. "Sasuke-kun, you mustn't!"

Sai shook his head. "Sasuke-kun, this isn't the right way to go."

Neji glowered. Shino remained silent. Possibly glaring from where he stood. Tenten simply scrunched up her nose and Lee looked confused.

Sakura made a step forward, intending to stop this farce before it reached impossible heights, but Sasuke's eyes sharply landed on her, stopping _her_.

"Don't think you can do this, Uchiha Sasuke," warned Tsunade, her voice still pleasantly low but laced with danger. "Any threats, direct or indirect, will not be ignored by me."

Sasuke inclined his head to the side. "Really… Ex-fifth Hokage, what are you going to do? I am not afraid of you, any of you."

Kiba growled. "So you're gonna fight us all, is that it? Seriously?"

Sasuke's lips drew back in a cold smile. "I don't need to fight you, least of all you… I simply came to warn you, that's it. Your meddling has gotten a bit troublesome and it'd best if you stopped bothering Naruto with it."

Tsunade snapped. "Us? We're bothering Naruto? You're the one walking around and acting like he's your possession. I've had enough of how you've been treating Naruto. You need to stop it this instant."

Sakura knew, even before Tsunade's words finished this ominous echoing around, what Sasuke's answer would be.

She wasn't mistaken. Though, most certainly, she wished she were, for Sasuke let out that short, silent laugh that despite its near-inaudibility echoed around with strength unparalleled and sent shivers down Sakura's spine.

Then he unsheathed his katana by a few, letting the sharp gleaming blade show. "So you'll fight me for it, for your belief, to prove your point to me? I've no interest in fighting you, Tsunade… _sama_, but if that is your wish, then so be it. I will respect it _gladly_, even if you cannot show me the same respect."

"Respect," mouthed Tsunade.

Sakura's body finally obeyed her; before Tsunade could reach the terrifying conclusion that she wished to meet him head-on in a combat of will, before Sasuke could further taunt any of them and ensure thus their chances of escaping without a battle close to zero, Sakura stepped between them and met Sasuke's eyes.

Met the blazing red, mad hues hiding such an insane bundle of emotions that she could not decipher them. _Could not._

But she could try. "Sasuke, stop it. You're acting completely irrational. This concerns us all too. Naruto is our leader and friend, it's important to us that he's doing alright."

"Leader and a friend," he repeated, voice dull as his eyes idly rested upon hers. "It's good to know where your priorities lie, Sakura; first a leader, then a friend."

She fought the shiver, fought the effects of his venomous voice. "I didn't mean it that way and you know it, Sasuke. Naruto is my friend. Our friend." Would begging help? Would that pry his eyes open to the reality? Sakura swallowed back the – no, not tears, they weren't tears, she didn't feel tempted to cry in front of him, but it was the frustration gathered that had her eyes getting puffy and red, the knowledge of being utterly helpless when faced with a man as stubborn as this one.

_Sasuke… You've changed so much… But if you think that will stop me, then you don't know me at all._

"He is my friend."

Her voice echoed around, giving her strength.

But he dismissed her. Like she were a pest. And in his voice, she felt contempt. And so much more. So dark and terrifying, so very-"Friend, you say. Look at you, look at them. Standing there, looking at you and then at me all in turns like they're expecting you to succeed where they failed… Simply because a long time ago, there used to be a bond between us. _A bond that I severed right as it came to existence." _

Sakura's heart forgot to beat; venom… his words really were venom. Injected into her bloodstream through airflow, simply running her thoughts amok and leaving the mind of her in a state absolutely dismayed.

His eyes shone a velvet shade of disgust. "But there is something you don't understand, _Sakura_." One hand may have been holding the katana, but the other was free and it rose to absently twirl a strand of her hair, as if wishing to spur the feelings she'd tucked safely into the darkest corners of her mind long ago. A pity, however, that the cold eyes burned with passion not for her.

Never for her.

_I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear it. Don't say it, Sasuke, don't-_

She heard something. Footsteps getting nigh – the feverish beating of a heart – the quickened breathing of someone around – then Sasuke's cruel, stabbing voice.

As he let the stray strand go and stopped the act of an uninterested spectator. "To you, he might be a friend. But to me, Naruto is not friend. To me, he is more than your brain could possibly comprehend…"

What is he – asked a voice, was it hers? So soft…

Sasuke pulled away entirely but awarded her with one last, fleeting look of pity, before all that dissolved and his look scorched her soul.

"Naruto is my-"

"_Sasuke, that is enough."_

Sakura's body fell backwards, avoiding hitting the ground only because of Tsunade's good timing; the woman appeared right behind her to catch the limp body and Sakura looked to see Naruto.

Naruto, the one who'd spoken so serenely, standing with Shikamaru by his side not far ahead, looking as if he'd been taking a stroll when a beautiful butterfly of unknown origins enraptured his attention for this one fateful evening.

Naruto, who walked towards Sasuke as if still on the stroll and enclosed his hand around Sasuke's, until the hand released the katana and it slipped back into its sheath, a low, clinging voice subtly making its presence known and echoing around.

Naruto…

"_Naruto."_

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, but the story idea is mine alone.

**A/N:** Would this be defined as a cliffhanger? Yes, no? Well, do tell… Also, these chapters keep getting really long… I honestly thought I'd barely reach 7000 words and look at this, more than 10 000 words… That is insane, damn it. So are all the introduction chapters behind us? I believe so. Now, Sasuke and Naruto should start appearing quite a lot more often…

**Translations: **

Shishou – master

Minna-san – everyone

_In next chapter, Naruto and Sasuke do more than just talk, Chouji returns to reveal some secrets, Gaara departs and leaves an ominous message and things get slightly more complicated. Again._

**Rating:** PG-13 for themes, blood, swearwords (most of which have yet to make an appearance).

**Summary:** At twenty two, Naruto has achieved all; a Hokage at last, a man respected and loved, he rules his nation with compassion and understanding, bringing together lost families and friends, and disposing of those that dare oppose his peace. And Sasuke ever-so-faithfully stands by his side, an unchanging status for almost six years, and after these six years, people, villagers, their teachers and friends finally start to ask: "What is happening between Naruto and Sasuke?"

**Setting:** Six years after the Fourth Ninja War, so all ages have been changed accordingly. Naruto is the Hokage, but how exactly he achieved the status will be revealed step-by-step, along with many other details related to the "rookie nine" and all other characters.

**Warning:** There will be no OCs, only, perhaps, some OOCness which I'm partial to as anyone else, so that's excusable. Don't go around calling this yaoi, as Sole isn't yaoi, it merely contains strong _shounen-ai _hints. The purpose of this story is not to indulge anyone's perverse fantasies involving Sasuke and Naruto, but to elaborate further on the complex relationship they share as demonstrated in both manga and anime. With that said, I **love** the pairing, but I'm not promising anything. _Story will contain basic Japanese honorifics._

Thanks for reading. Remember to R&R! x)

If you have any questions, add them in a review or message me personally :)


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter_Five__Re_m**e**mber

_They'd call her depressed, they would, and be all means the remorseful lack of any positive feelings at all pointed to such an abysmal state of mind, yet she'd fight such accusations tooth and nail, because true they might have been, it was none of their business to pry into matters as intimate as her current feelings, because she was also their leader and deserved to keep at least a few things a secret and because-_

_Right. Of course. Too many thoughts at once. Too much rambling, too little success, too little nothing, too much everything._

_Was this life a burden?_

_Tsunade liked to think not, but things weren't looking exactly at their best, leading her to sink further into that thing called depression._

_And to look for hope in the empty bottom of her drink._

"_Ugh… If Shizune finds me in this state, she'll twist both her feet tripping over how to quickly get me out of anyone's sight," she muttered to herself, as in to remind the wretched thirst for lower inhibitions currently possessing all rational thought that it hadn't won yet. That someone out there stood to protect even her._

_The protector._

_Protected._

_Eternally._

_She laughed. "What a load of crap."_

"_Totally agreed, baa-chan. You're a load of crap right now."_

_Tsunade's eyes shot open, the glass sliding from her finger and – she wasn't drunk, not yet, not even remotely, but still she felt rather foolish; caught red-handed and under his beseeching eyes, she might have been a fifteen-year-old girl confronted at last by her crush about the words of love for him she'd spread around in a love-drunken folly. _

_Or was that vulnerability?_

_Caring not for her disarrayed thoughts, Naruto kicked the broken shards away and Tsunade could only ponder in silent wonder when the glass had hit the ground and when she'd turned this oblivious to her surroundings. When her own despair had gotten the best of her._

_Before a voice could take the courtesy of answering all these rhetorical questions, his hand curled around the sake bottle, snatching it away and then letting it slip free from his fingers; it fell to the ground, breaking into hundreds of miniature and glimmering glass-fragments that, covered in the liquid to pool around, resembled small stars hijacked from high above._

_Naruto huffed and soon he was standing right next to her, leaning against the railing, eyes glaring daggers at the fingers still frozen as if an invisible glass had been placed in her hand in the meantime._

_Tsunade, tentative, met his gaze._

"_Brat, that was a waste."_

"_Waste my ass. You're a waste," he bit back, voice sharp._

_Tsunade scoffed. "Jeez, thanks, exactly what I wanted to hear."_

"_Oh, great, glad to have been of some assistance then."_

"_I was being sarcastic."_

"_I wasn't. I catch you drinking that stuff again and I'll just break it again."_

_She shook her head. "You're being annoying."_

"_And you a pathetic drunk. And you're wallowing in self-pity."_

_What a simply astounding conclusion._

_Another scoff from her. "Right."_

"_And you know why?"_

"_Do humor me," she replied coolly._

_But regretted it. Right the next instant._

"_Oh, I don't know. Maybe because this is the second time this week I've caught you drinking and because you're not even, like, fighting back and screaming at me for insulting you, or maybe because I know you inside-out, baa-chan, and because I know when you're not feeling well and because I also know you well enough to know that sake will only make it worse," he spoke in an elevated voice, almost as if they were discussing the recent changes in weather and how it often acted an obstacle in their plans of having a picnic out in the open, but despite the ease with which the words spilled out, they cut with seamless and brutal precision._

_Tsunade felt herself shake. "Is that all?"_

"_No."_

"_Oh, I see. Humor me again?"_

_She waited. Waited. He didn't speak. She realized she'd averted her gaze some time during his speech and couldn't tell thus what emotion had come to obsess over his youthful features now; only that the silence was unpleasant._

_And that he was moving, for despite her current state of mind, still she could feel it, could sense him shuffling about and breathing in that way that – it soothed her, a sedative to her raging thoughts, a tranquilizer for the chaotic mind._

_Then, next thing she knew, he was grabbing her hand, turning it up and placing something inside it, something she was quite familiar with for, after all, hadn't she worn this particular accessory for most of her life?_

_And given it to Naruto at some point or another?_

"_Baa-chan, I worry about you."_

_Yes, that necklace. Given it to him, yes… A long time ago. Twelve, he'd been back then, right?_

"_Baa-chan… I get it, you're troubled. And you worry, too. About the village, its future, your own future and the peace bestowed upon us. Yeah, I get it. The peace is too much to handle."_

_Yes, twelve years go… And it'd almost killed him but also brought her back. To think a boy that young would have succeeded where everyone else had failed… _

"_A lot's happened lately and you still keep turning to the past and to what happened. I get it, alright, I know… You are worried about… I noticed the looks you've been giving me lately. You're not inconspicuous at all, but what I said back then hasn't changed; how can I ever be the Hokage if I can't save one life? Besides… I'd do the same for anyone… And for you, baa-chan, you should know that."_

_Right._

_Right… _Right.

_True. Totally._

_Not a reason to cry, no, but… But. She sniffed. Her fingers closed around the necklace. A smile charmed its way to her face._

"_You annoying little brat," she laughed._

_At last she looked around to see the cheeky smile on Naruto's face._

_And to think that one brat could even after all this time make her laugh. Make her feel alive. Had she been at least thirty years younger, she'd have thought herself falling for his undeniable charms, but now she could only conclude easily the fondness for him hadn't withered yet. Never would, possibly, and for as long as he was alive to remind her of that, she'd hold onto that feeling._

"_Baa-chan?"_

"_Sorry, Naruto," she said, the laugh still, the smile awkward, but the sensation in her eyes, as she knew, genuine and pure. She pushed herself off the railing and, ignoring his inquiring gaze, beckoned him to come closer, until their proximity allowed her to easily place the necklace right where it belonged, ruffling the golden hair along the way, getting that warm smile to meet her in the end._

"_There, it suits you," she commented._

_Naruto snickered. "Yeah… Sorry about that, by the way," he said, motioning to the bottle and glass now beyond repair._

_She shrugged. "It's alright. I shouldn't drink anyone. It's not good for me and it's not a solution, anyway. Never was. But you will clean it up, alright? If not because you broke it, then because I need someone to help me cover up my tracks." She coughed. "I don't need anyone knowing I sneaked out of my office to get a drink."_

_Naruto stared at her. "… Right. No problem, baa-chan. So you won't do it again? Like, sneak out, get drunk? You totally did last time."_

"_And you didn't stop me."_

"_Nah. Was with Sasuke and he was acting a bit prissy about something. Didn't like something about our last mission, apparently," he explained, nonchalant about the matter, and resumed his previous position of leaning against the railing, though a bit further from the crime scene now, as in to ensure that in the case of being found out, none could connect him to the spilled alcohol on the ground._

_Tsunade wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and suppressed the Urge._

"_Sasuke again, eh?"_

"_Duh. I mean, we're a team, remember?"_

"_Of course." Bitter, her voice._

_Naruto ignored it. "So…"_

_She sighed. "What can I say."_

"_The truth? I mean, come on, I deserve to know…"_

"_You already know quite a lot," she muttered under her breath. How exactly had he found out about all that anyway…? The next sound to roll from her parted lips resembled a deep, guttural groan of despair and all that was generally disliked, but he remained silent once more, giving her the space to talk or flee – a thing he had, possibly, learned from being around that guy._

_That… guy._

_Sasuke, huh…_

_Tsunade tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "The truth then. The truth is, I keep watching Sasuke and you and feel that somewhere along the way, I made a terrible mistake. Mostly lately it's become a pain in the ass to deal with, as Sasuke will just stand his ground and challenge me to a fight whenever I decide to send you off on a mission without him. Even after all these years he still seems furious with me for one thing or another. And-Naruto. I know it's my mistake…" _

_And it was a stupid, issue, too. She didn't worry about the village, for things couldn't have been better. She didn't worry about the incessant meddling of her advisors, because them she could handle. She didn't worry about the small tidbits of threats apparently coming from all directions, as no longer intoxicated on peace, groups of criminals were gathering at last with an attack planned in the near future, because they'd still shiver in fear when confronted with her power._

_She didn't worry about the things that were her job, that she'd signed to worry about._

_But this one young man next to her, whose hands were curled firmly around the railing, in that one gesture encompassed the whole of his feelings. _

_But she didn't care about that. About his obvious dislike for her meddlesome words, for the persistence to further impose herself on his life, because it was in his utmost interests to know, to understand what she was feeling. _

_What she _felt.

_But instead of letting her finish her thoughts, Naruto spoke. "Right. I know. Worries. Those are always around, huh?"_

_She blinked and was just about to disagree, but his hearty smile snapped her out of her self-imposed state of impending doom, until it rang about, lilting and melodic._

_Once more, Naruto's voice drifted around as his grip on the railing loosened and the hands caressed the material with tenderness unhindered. "Sasuke and I… We are… You know, I don't really know. He was so angry with me before. There was this cute girl, you know, that we met on our last mission. She was just twelve or so but she kind of decided to marry me in the future. I thought it was the cutest thing ever, but Sasuke called it blasphemous and then just marched off like a queen. Really, that guy and his jealousy… Man, that just keeps getting better… But."_

_He stepped back._

"_But I don't think you made a mistake. Sure… Sure… I admit. It was… annoying, you know? I took him back and suddenly, no-one wanted to deal with him, not any longer. They just kept, well… Like I was… Huh. But." _

_His hand rested right on top of his heart._

"_I don't regret it, not one bit. Still I believe that if you can't save one life, what right do you have to govern over the others'? What right do you have to act a hero and a leader when still there's that one life you failed? I brought him back and, honestly, baa-chan… In a way, I was a bit mad at you before, but now that I think about it… With Sasuke by my side, knowing that I didn't fail that one life…"_

_He laughed out loud._

"_I couldn't be happier."_

_Drowsy. She felt drowsy. And ambushed. By these feelings. What was it that she was feeling? Still lightly perturbed, no doubt, by the discovery she'd ultimately caused the unbreakable bond to form between Naruto and Sasuke, a bond as tangible as the ground beneath her feet, but hadn't it always been there? Always so prominent… Predominant. And other, complex and intricate words she wasn't sure she wished to fully comprehend._

_But this feeling._

_This._

_Thing._

_This…_

_Though certainly she'd drunk something before, though certainly a part of her remained dubious, not one dared undermine the authority in his words, that-_what?

_Authority…_

"_You don't regret it, not one bit. Even if you live a life that's not yours?" she asked, dismissing at once all such thoughts, insistence in her voice._

_Naruto threw his arms around and heaved out a long, indignant sigh, before turning to face her._

_That radiant smile on his face. That laugh lines carved in the cheeks. That purity of it all, a quality never to be possessed this wholly by anyone else._

"_Not mine? What're you talking about, lady? Don't you do the same? You do. And you know it. I live my life to the fullest. I live it all. And Sasuke? I don't think I saved him, I think we saved each other. I didn't save the villagers, we all saved each other. It's all thanks to this unprecedented cooperation that we can live for each other. And with each other. Being with Sasuke almost every minute of my life might seem so weird to you, but really, I'm with that one person and I keep hoping that, really, one day, he can save me back… One day, we can all live for life as it lives for us, right? For this village… See… You depressed granny, you're worrying for nothing. Because this."_

_The sun, still but a globe cut in half, a looming crescent on the horizon, enveloped him in a layer of warmth._

"_This is what I love doing the most. This life, this living, this living it for everybody and with everybody. This makes me happy."_

_Tsunade was smiling. This thing she'd noticed immediately, that detail being the only one she'd become aware of from the moment of its coming to existence, this reality being clearly astounding and white in contrast to the usual black, that black being in the past._

_The white being the yellow._

_That yellow behind him, all around him, inside him._

_Tsunade really was smiling._

_Sasuke was such a douchebag. She'd think it, always had, always would, but when Naruto was around, the quality diminished greatly to cease its existence, for around Naruto, around him and no-one else, only when in his electrifying presence could the scone of light shine bright and brighter than ever before._

_Only around him, could even Sasuke feel tranquil and serene._

_And everyone, anyone else._

_Tsunade's smile widened, rivaling Naruto's._

_Naruto grinned._

_She hid her face in her face._

_Her heart. Singing. A song. A song of utmost beauty and redemption. _

_And belief._

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

"_Naruto-?"_

_Shikamaru stopped. Gaara watched, a statue once more. Temari and Kankuro lost the game of ask and understand._

_Naruto looked at them from above his shoulder, a few strands of hair outlining the curves of his nose, lips and the arch of the brows now lowering ominously over the eyes._

"_Gaara, sorry, we need to cut this short… We'll have that ramen later, I promise… Shikamaru come."_

_Temari bit on her lower lip. "I'm missing something here, aren't I?"_

_Gaara looked Naruto in the eye. "What's going on?"_

_Wordlessly, Shikamaru trailed towards Naruto and assumed a position right next to him. His uncharted territory, the right hand._

_Naruto's finger curled around his clothing, grasping it with vigor, until the wrinkled material seemed to resemble a shape mysteriously a lot like that of crumpled paper._

_Right above his heart._

"_Sorry… I have to go for now… I feel him." The eyes, now narrowed, an unhinged excitement in them. "Sasuke has come out of his hiding. He's here again."_

_Here._

_Gaara nodded and understood._

In your heart, on your mind, he always is.

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

_Naruto, the one who'd spoken so serenely, standing with Shikamaru by his side not far ahead, looking as if he'd been taking a stroll when a beautiful butterfly of unknown origins enraptured his attention for this one fateful evening._

_Naruto, who walked towards Sasuke as if still on the stroll and enclosed his hand around Sasuke's, until the hand released the katana and it slipped back into its sheath, a low, clinging voice subtly making its presence known and echoing around._

_Naruto… _

"_Naruto." _

Sasuke's body went rigid. Then, slowly, he turned around, facing Naruto, and-

_What-?_

Maybe it was Naruto who initiated it, maybe it was Sasuke, but at the same time their bodies moved forward until the foreheads touched, until the noses brushed, until Sasuke's head slid down to rest on Naruto's shoulder, a gesture and sign of affection unbidden.

Naruto's eyes closed. "I know," he said. "I know…"

Startled, Sakura's eyes traveled to Shikamaru – who looked shocked for a moment but then gave her a sad, knowing look and-

-her heart dropped below surface.

"Naruto, what's the meaning of this…?" Tsunade's voice resembled a snake's hiss; only lower and a lot more frightened. "You can't tell me you're just going to let him walk when he almost attacked us?"

Sakura shook her head; he could and he would, there was no mistaking it… Or the passion in Naruto's eyes, that subtly laced loved around his hues, the gentleness of the gesture as his hand rested on Sasuke's back and then slid lower down, caressing the material along the way, so much affection enraptured in the simple movement only that Sakura's breath hitched in her throat.

Naruto smiled. "I'm sorry, baa-chan… I'm sorry…"

Sorry…

For _what?_

Sakura stood up to her shaky feet, ignoring the buckling of her knees, the incessant shivering continuously spreading fright down her spine, the bugging of a bothersome voice in the back of her mind telling her she was an intruder, they were not meant to witness this… Show. This… Love.

_Love._

Sasuke moved.

With his back turned to them, they couldn't have guessed what expression currently resided on his face, but then again, why bother with such trivial matters, when even Naruto's expression, though perfectly exposed to them and their prying minds, remained a mystery with its immense lack of clarity?

No-one moved. So much determined they'd been before, and yet a simple show of these proportions could render all their arguments invalid and leave them as clueless of the workings of this world as the day they were born.

But Sakura noticed from the corner of her eyes the horror on Tsunade's face or the regret on Shikamaru's and mingled together they formed an answer to all their inquiries, ones they'd been seeking relentlessly for the past week.

Naruto's sigh echoed around. "Guys… What Sasuke said… Look, please, I know you're worried, but there's nothing to be worried about. Sasuke and I-"

Sasuke's head slowly turned as in to allow his eyes, now dark and smothering, to land on Naruto's figure.

The Hokage lowered his head and, all mirth completely eviscerated, he barked out a bitter, short laugh. "-we know what we're doing. Okay, so…"

Tsunade walked over to him, not waiting for him to finish that deceitful answer, and her hand rose, fingers curling around the necklace which she'd given him ages ago still dangling around his neck.

"Naruto, remember what I gave you this for. Remember." The hand released it. It fell back, hitting Naruto's chest and then remained there, not quite as lifeless for it shone brightly, the green light mesmerizing and captivating, prompting Naruto to look down and reply in a deadened, calloused voice.

"I do, baa-chan. I've not forgotten. Never will."

His hand touched it, then enclosed around it. Then he was stepping away and Sasuke moved by his side.

"Naruto…" Sakura found herself whispering.

But he wouldn't even look at her, wouldn't level her the gaze he'd given Sasuke.

But-a moment later, he was meeting her eyes tentatively, hesitation carved into his face, the whisker marks seemingly shriveled up under the moonlight, the lips drawn back in a smile wasted on this occasion.

"I'm sorry, guys, really. I can't stop you from trying to find out, but I can't also… Not with Sasuke, not him… I know what I'm doing." The hand fell to hang by his side.

"You're not even gonna tell us, really? Not us, your old friends?" Kiba was asking. "Or…" His eyes narrowed. Akamaru barked. "Are we no longer friends?"

"Kiba-kun, no, that is-"-Hinata muttered something incomprehensible under her breath but as her face resembled a ghost's, there was no questioning she hoped for an answer just as badly as the rest of them.

"Naruto, this is unfair," spoke Neji.

By his side, Lee nodded. "Naruto-kun, please, we are _nakama_."

Pressure.

"I get it. It is," answered Naruto after a while and stepped away, the growing distance acting as the mental support for him that no-one else could offer and an indicator of how the situation was to unfold. "But this isn't the time. Not the time, not the place for any such explanation. I ask you all to go home."

"Will you tell us?" Tsunade asked.

Naruto directed his eyes on Sasuke. "Yeah… When the time's right."

Did that mean anything at all, that empty promise?

Was anyone asking anything? Was that silence? Was that anger?

Directed at whom then, the feeling? Was it Sasuke, stealing him away, or Naruto, letting the puppeteer's string attach to his limbs and whisk him away?

Sasuke's shoulder brushed against Naruto's. Could the touch have been sizzling, a heated contact sending painful jolts up and down Naruto's spine, something to be detested both in secret and out in the open, an occurrence of a greater significance than met the eye, this or that and mostly a mystery of a reason behind Naruto's closing of eyes, the submission to it, acceptance of his fate-or?

Naruto turned away.

_It wasn't a stupid motion, not by any standard, and it wasn't just a simple stupid something Sakura could easily call as the temporary parting of friends._

It was a stab in the back.

Sasuke stepped right next to him.

The thing so far unknown to the remaining group accompanied the two as, side by side, the path before them laid out with bitterness and subtle, unnoticed by most, brushing of their hands, by the addictive closeness of their bodies, they disappeared from their sight.

Sakura knew right then, as finally she found the strength in her to breathe once more, that everyone present was going through the very same thing as her over a week ago when, struck by the lighting of awareness, she'd watched them walk away. For good.

She wasn't weak. Not by any means. Yet she consoled herself with words that out of them all, she was hit by the situation the hardest.

And she wasn't tempted to cry, no, because the tears would eventually dry up and with no solution in sight, eventually, as she believed, she'd run out of disposable water within. And the tears would all hurt to portray with repulsive precision the thoughts to lead her mind astray.

At last, maybe, she could know that even the likes of Neji, that everyone understood at last, the particular sensation she'd felt then.

Frivolous, though, all that.

"It's odd, isn't it? The first time you see it, you think your eyes are deceiving you, that your mind's playing a little trick on you, that it can't be real, but the more you look the more you are inclined to believe that you're not imagining it. That thing, that thing between them…"

"It does exist," finished Sakura.

Then she froze.

Who'd spoken? A masculine voice, but she didn't recognize it as Kiba's or Neji's and least of all as Lee's, who, despite all his goodness, had not the depth to spurt out such words.

Then…?

She blinked and moved her eyes slightly to the right, to the still, relaxed figure of none other than Shikamaru who'd not moved an inch since, instead remaining on that one spot, his eyes slightly narrowed, an absent look of an eternal dreamer in them.

"You didn't leave with them," spoke Kiba for sure this time, voicing out all their thoughts, as Sakura believed.

Shikamaru sighed. "No, there's no point."

Ino huffed. "Oh, so you're going to tell us what's between them now?"

"No."

"Oh, _ugh._ I so knew it, you're such a pest, Shika-"

"Rather, I can't tell you something I myself don't know."

Ino recoiled, as if struck and stared, bewildered.

Shikamaru gave them all a helpless look. "The seal is still here, sealing and doing its job and I can't speak of it… It being the thing you have yet to inquire about. It's funny, really, how you're all asking the wrong question. I'd love to help you, answer you, but I can't. Because of the seal, because of the thing I don't understand yet."

He paused, sighed and gave them a small, soft smile, the left hand subsequently rising to land on his heart where it rested. "The answer. How simple. This pestilence is a sin, this sin a disease, a vicious circle by all means, governing above us all. Day at night. Night at day."

Then, ignoring their confused looks and the lips already parting to form the questions, he formed a simple hand seal and, in a rather ANBU-like fashion, disappeared in a small crack and a puff of smoke.

For a moment or two, easily confused with eternity, none too wiser, no-one spoke, until Sakura finally turned to face them all and, together, as once before, they shared the confusion, the stares and that one simple reality.

"So," spoke Ino. "After all, we still nothing at all."

"You're quite wrong, Ino," said Tsunade, a sour look in her eyes. "We do know a few things. For example, Shikamaru is actually being a nasty little douchebag and keeping this something a secret out of loyalty, it appears. Second, Naruto and Sasuke aren't all that meets the eye. And, third… Shikamaru isn't that much of a douchebag. Not after giving us that."

"That," continued Neji after exchanging a brief look with Tsunade. "Being a password. Who, however, needs to hear it in order to provide us with answers, remains a mystery."

_Password. _

Huh.

If you needed pestilence, sin and disease to keep something a secret, was it honestly worth unraveling it?

Sakura pondered and, acknowledging at last that no more surprising moments of revelation would arise, she sighed, and in her mind, in her heart.

She wept.

_Naruto… Sasuke… what are you guys doing? _

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

They always did that.

The smiling. It was annoying. They always did it. No matter what.

The smiling, greeting, the polite exchanges of "good morning", the last part of the phrase interchangeable with others depending on what part of the day it was.

It annoyed him, it did. Repulsive, it all was, like they thought it'd help, like he would look at them stronger, his smile brighter, like it'd help.

He never did.

He was always himself.

For them, surprise or no surprise, that sufficed, and even now the world assumed its usual role of grating on his nerves, persistently forcing him to witness its affectionate exchange with him. _Him._

But only for a while, for that short while as, otherwise wordlessly, they walked home, because when they reached the chambers where together they stayed and laid down, where memories and warmth would hit them square in the face right upon entrance, he slammed him against the wall and right then, Sasuke knew Naruto only thought of him.

No-one but him.

"What the hell is your problem, Sasuke?" hissed Naruto, voice laced with the exact opposite of mirth.

Sasuke turned his eyes away and pried his hands off, moving off the wall and ignoring the dull ache in his back.

"Sasuke, I'm talking to you."

"And I can hear you just fine," he replied, unfastening the katana from his waist and laying it down onto the nearby bed.

Naruto seemed to growl. Sasuke reveled in it.

Slowly, as if wishing to antagonize him further, he turned around, eyes landing on Naruto's blues.

Naruto stared back. "Then answer me."

He always insisted. Always so hard. But without the drive.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Hn, I seem to have forgotten the question."

Bristling now. "Oh, _right_. Then allow me to bother your majesty with it once more." Skittish around some though he might have been, apparently that meant nothing more, for catty his voice was and with the ever-present anger he marched over to Sasuke, invading his privacy _so-so-perfect_. "What were you thinking releasing your killing intent on them like that? Are you _mental_? Oh, yeah, they didn't feel it, but any moment now and they would have. And, wow, that thing with Gaara?"

Sasuke growled. "Don't mention his name around me again."

Naruto scoffed. "Sorry, I forgot. Wait, what did I forget again? Oh, nothing, that's just your actions eluding me as per usual."

He turned around, like intending to walk away. _On him._ Sasuke's expression contorted into an angry façade.

"He touched you."

Naruto stopped.

Sasuke thought not to relish in it. Not yet. Wait for it, he would, but-excitement. "That's all."

Naruto's shoulders slumped. "He touched me… and that's your excuse for attacking him?"

"Not to mention hurting you," added Sasuke darkly. Naruto moved. He was making a face now, Sasuke knew him well enough for that, but held his curiosity from attempting to guess which emotion it was.

Because, really, did it matter? When Naruto, _his Naruto_, wouldn't disappoint, wouldn't sway from his path, would only act accordingly.

"You didn't hurt me, Sasuke."

Sasuke closed his eyes.

_Yes, accordingly. Always. Always…_

"I'm still angry with you, Sasuke. You had no right to do it. None at all. Even if they asked questions…" he muttered, sounding tired for a change, prompting a look of disillusioned, stunned hope from Sasuke.

"They were meddling in. I thought you didn't want them knowing. Not yet, anyway."

"Not yet."

"So you really are afraid. Or maybe it's you who's ashamed. Are you ashamed, Naruto?"

Naruto gritted his teeth and shook his head, facing Sasuke at last and exposing himself to him once more.

Sasuke took in a sharp intake of air. "No. Then what it is."

"They shouldn't find out like this. That's all. And don't suddenly change the topic, alright? I am still mad with you."

"It was angry before."

"Angry, mad, bah. Just words."

"Words," he echoed and smirked. "Words, Naruto, mean a lot more to you than you let on. But sure, keep acting like they don't, like you don't care. It's an interesting thing to see what it does to you."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "And what does it do to me, huh?"

"Obviously, it hurts you."

"And that is good," he said dryly.

"Yes."

"… Jeez, thanks, Sasuke. That's nice to know-_stop smirking would you_?"

He didn't.

Instead, his smirk merely widened. He couldn't help it. He was so. So.

Delectable.

The smirk disappeared. What was it on his face, he asked himself. Was it a smile? Could it have been? Was that what, perhaps, dragged by force the shock in Naruto's eyes?

Really, who cared.

Sasuke stepped over to him, the distance ruined completely, its meaning lost on them.

"It is good. Because whenever you're hurt, you come to me. Always to me."

Did Naruto know they were this close? Did he know that when touched, he'd lean closer and allow their foreheads to touch? A touch, direct and skin-to-skin, sprinkled only with the occasional brushing of their hair that sent the shivers down his spine.

"I'm still mad at you."

"Are you."

"Yeah. Mad. Like, whoa the world's going to end mad."

Sasuke's lips drew back. "Really."

"… Yes. Totally… Definitely."

Heh.

"In such a case…" he trailed off. Closed his eyes. An automatic thing. Leaned over.

Naruto's body tensed up, a shuddering breath left him and Sasuke didn't mind. Gentle, the distance forever gone, he placed a kiss on his cheek, right under his eye, the startled and parted lips to south, the eyes wide open to north, his hand on Naruto's other cheek, holding him in place, the touch. Longer. Than, maybe, dictated the conventions, than, maybe, appropriate, than, maybe, it should have been, but, most importantly, tantalizing.

"… Sasuke, what are you doing?"

Against the man's skin, Sasuke could only smile. Really, what else was there to do? "Saying I'm sorry."

His hand, cheeky, traveled to the back of Naruto's head, fingers running through the hair and though, though, in all reality, there was no force behind it, though, as he knew, Naruto could have avoided it at any time, he didn't, standing rooted to the same spot. Motionless.

Sasuke was sure his eyes had similarly closed, the copycats.

But.

He… Loved the hair under his fingers, loved living in an intimate embrace like this. Loved being this close, loved the tingling warm breath on his lips, loved their brushing, loved-needed it.

Naruto probably did something. It went by ignored.

Sasuke kissed the corner of his mouth and murmured, hoping to lace the whole of himself in the dulcet tones to subsequently filter in the air, muffled only because of the sun-kissed skin in their path. "I'm sorry… Naruto…"

Where, his answer. Unspoken, once more.

Like always.

Physically, as he'd grown accustomed to, but this custom was to his liking, as Naruto nodded slowly, his arm going around Sasuke's shoulder, giving him the yes which he'd been yearning for, until his head rested again in the crook of Naruto's shoulder, the fingers, idle, playing with the blond hair.

At that moment, possessed by this serenity, he truly did feel sorry. For what he'd done. Back then, back then… But what was to come…

_So repulsive, I am. So nothing, compared to you… Yet… Yet… _

"I'm sorry… Naruto."

Naruto, that forgiving fool, laughed. "It's alright, Sasuke… I know, I know…"

_Yet I can't help but want… _

"Do you?"

"Of course, I always do."

"Do you… then how come you're not stopping me?"

"Why would I? I trust you."

"That's not an answer, Naruto. Perhaps, one day you will have to."

"Have to what?"

_But hate…_

Sasuke took a deep breath. His scent filled his nostrils. His presence intoxicated him. And his own, cold thoughts running on his putrid _love_ for him disgusted him. "One day, maybe in the near future, I might force you to act against me… One day, you will have to stop me."

"Sure… Right. But you know what? Until then, promise me one thing."

"What?"

Naruto let out a low, throaty sound. Sasuke felt the man's fingers dig into his flesh. Nothing for a few then, after the painstakingly long still moments of grasping at straws and suppression of hope, Naruto's voice filled the room.

"Don't… don't ever leave me again…"

That child. Gone for one day and yet this crestfallen… _Precisely like me._

Again that day, Sasuke felt himself smile in a way reserved solely for their Hokage, for his, and only his, Naruto.

He lifted his head. Their eyes locked.

"I swear. On our promise…"

The promise of a lifetime.

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

Was this lo-?

No.

That word was a taboo.

He didn't want to say it, didn't want to wrap the sensation in a particular paper, didn't want to turn it a label to lo and behold, for wasn't that a mere a result of calling its true name?

He stared at his hands, at the lines cut deep into them, recognizing the signs of aging on him even if at such a tender age there should have been none at all, safe for the maturity now shining contentedly from his eyes.

Was there any, though? Or had that, too, been born elsewhere and not reached him, for too hard he'd tried, too fast he'd walked and not once had the notion of looking around to see the path behind sown with mistrust and blackness occurred to him, for the make-believe castles in the sky had heaved too heavily on his mind.

Maybe there lay the issue, that unwavering, never to falter problem he himself had conjured up first in his dreams and subsequently on ground; how could he ever refer to it directly and confront it at all when that seemingly, pathetically and deceitfully simple action would require the thing he feared the most?

Its true name.

He feared it.

Hated it.

Was it… that… word… Four letters. Two syllables. Very simple, really. Wonderful to pronounce. Easy to share. At least, relatively.

But he couldn't.

Couldn't call it lo-.

What if he did and … He didn't…?

Would… Would…

The hand, clenched into a fist, the red chakra hugging it, intimate.

Naruto bit down on his lower lip until thinned, bright red blood trickled down his chin.

_Would you hate me, Sasuke, if you knew? _

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

"-and then, like, oh my god, wish you'd been there! It was _disastrous_. Sakura totally had a panic attack and just broke down but then, a few moments later, she was smiling and being all fake and trying to make us believe she's alright. Of course, didn't work at all. I mean, I know her, you know? And Tsunade-sama does, too. But darn… Was a situation I tell you… Ah… And Shikamaru… How I want to slap him… Something about, um, pestilence and sin and-_are you even listening to me?_ … Chouji!"

Chouji looked up from the bag of wasabi-flavored potato chips she'd given him and blinked.

Ino stared and sighed. "Typical, really. Just eat, just eat, I'll be fine. I'll talk someone else's ear off."

Chouji smiled. "Alright."

Ino stared on.

Then Chouji seemed to remember something. "Ino, shouldn't you be steering away from any stressful situations? Given your situation and all that."

Ino scoffed. "Bah. The baby and I are just fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, yes," she nodded, idly playing with her hair and attempting to look at up at the sun above; it was a childish desire that urged her to do so, for years she'd known the action to be impossible, as the sun would burn your eyes and the body, acting on instinct, would shield the eyes from the sun's radiant rays… Indeed, she knew.

Knew and, possessed by the childlike I, kept peering up from underneath her lashes towards the sun, hoping to glimpse it better and praying the tears would keep their distance for now.

After a moment, the sounds of munching on food filled the silence.

Ino decided to look at Chouji instead. "Oh-oh, you're eating slower than usual. I see." She smirked. "So your wife's a good cook?"

Chouji laughed heartily. "She's a wonderful cook. Sometimes I miss junk food, though. She strictly forbids it."

"Oh, right, I remember. She said it was her weakness and a thing she could never ever resist? And something about not wanting to gain additional weight… Oh, and she did mention you as her weakness, too."

Cutely, she fluttered her eyelashes, reveling in the startled look Chouji gave his chips. "I see…"

Then he blushed and Ino marveled.

Her prowess… Astounding.

And his wife was too, now that she thought about it… For a moment or few, she indulged herself in thinking of her old teammate and his wife.

They'd thought Chouji to shack up with a girl of similar physical proportions, someone just as fond of food as he, someone exclusively for him.

Instead a woman thin, beautiful, maybe plain by some standards, but vivacious and sporty no doubt had stolen his heart instead of the chubby-looking, beady-eyed and fat-fingered girl they'd envisioned… That Chouji, too, had envisioned. The more Ino thought of it, the more she believed they'd found each other, as who but fate could have interfered and ensured that Chouji and Yumiko cross paths that day on the outskirts of Konoha?

Simply beautiful, that fateful rendezvous, the encounter she'd been lucky to witness herself, but, despite the purity of their relationship, there were people intent on believing the woman to either have a fat fetish or be poisoned by something akin to a love potion on daily basis, as why else would she have fallen for him?

Ino scoffed in her mind and clenched her teeth; the ludicrous poison theory put aside, Yumiko-san surely did not have a fat fetish, as she'd fallen for the man's good heart and courage, right? Besides, the only fat fetish she might have had included loving on her round belly, which was perfectly fine and thus shoo-shoo, haters, lest soon-to-be-just-as-round Ino would punch the hell out of them.

_Ah. _

Being a bit aggressive was fun…

Ino snickered and crossed one leg over the other. "How is Yumiko-san, by the way? When is she coming to Konoha?"

"A few days, she said. She's meeting family now. A pity I couldn't go with her…" explained Chouji, a sign of regret in his tone. "It's alright, though. Naruto promised to keep me off missions in the last trimester, so I could be constantly by Yumiko's side."

"Oh, wow… That's quite amazing," she said, gawking.

Chouji smiled. "I told him no."

Ino's eyes almost fell out of their sockets. "… Wha-_what_? Why?"

He placed the half-empty bag aside and clasped his hands on his lap. "It's unfair to any other ninja out other risking their lives while their families await them back at home. I know Naruto was doing me a favor, but it's a favor I can't accept. I have my duty. Not only towards my family, but to others, to people. That's why I had to decline his offer. Thankfully, he didn't object and Yumiko understood. She is a fine woman."

Ino's body slumped against the bench, the lips parted in silent awe and eyes wide with surprise. "… I… I guess so. I mean." Quickly she composed herself and shot him a firm look. "I understand. I guess my… my own situation has altered my thinking a bit… You are right, we do have duties… Hm." Eventually, despite her best efforts, a smile broke out on her face. "I'm glad you have Yumiko-san, Chouji, she really is wonderful."

An endearing shade of red tinted his cheeks.

He nodded.

Ino recognized the feeling in her chest, swelling there strongly and sending pleasant jolts up and down her spite; it felt good.

_You know._

Really good, to have her friends, her family, even if not blood-related, happy and content, stood beside her and ready to lend a hand to help her solve all issues, even if not all were currently as happy, even if Sakura, mostly Sakura, was suffering so much because of her bond to Sasuke and Naruto, because while Sasuke had severed it, her side still persisted, outstretched in his direction and awaiting the moment of reunion, because hers with Naruto, dimmed and paling in comparison to what he had with Sasuke, existed regardless of the circumstances, because, in all actuality, Ino wanted so hard to solve it… Not for Naruto, not for Sasuke… But for Sakura.

Her friend.

"Bonds," she breathed out. "I'm glad we have them."

Chouji didn't say a word, but she could tell, after years spent by his side, that he agreed.

Ino smiled to herself and, for a moment or two, lost herself in this pleasant afternoon aroma, in the smell of rebirth shivering as it clung onto its surroundings.

Today, in but a few hours, the delegation would be leaving. Already, the village was buzzing with life, for they knew the dialogues had gone splendidly, that their Hokage had not failed them, merely proving his importance in their lives to be as unadulterated as the day he'd risen to power.

_Ino…_

Indeed…

_Ino…!_

Her smile widened-

"Ino!"

"Ahhh-!" What_-that_-she whipped her head around and abruptly stood from the bench, glaring at the newcomer. "Kiba! Don't surprise me like that," she growled and Kiba snickered.

Next to him, Hinata smiled, sheepish, waving at Ino, and Neji sighed, once more pretending the idiots around him, as Ino suspected he called them in his mind whenever they committed to an act of such travesty that his logic failed him, were invisible fiends.

_Oh, well. Changed though you have, still you can be such a jerk-off…_

Very well.

Chouji stood to his feet just as well and shot them all a broad smile. "It's good to see you all again."

"Hey," greeted Kiba, extending a hand to shake with Chouji, who complied happily, the gesture subsequently exchanged even between Neji and he.

She sighed and crossed her hands over her chest. "Anyway, what are you guys doing here? I thought you were supposed to be working on something?"

Kiba grinned. "Yeah. We're currently just on patrol, but the city's safe so far, no trouble, and our shift's not over, well, 't least, 'til the delegation's gone. And, anyway, Neji joined us after a bit. Something about not wishing to leave his cute little cousin with a nasty lech such as myself." He shrugged and Ino suppressed the desire to laugh out loud upon noting the disgruntled, slightly embarrassed look on Neji's face.

Hinata stuttered. "It's n-not like that… _Kiba-kun_, stop giving them ideas."

"Heh. What, just retelling the story, that's all. And spicing it up a bit. "s cool." Haughty, he smirked. Then, ignoring Hinata's growing and flashing red displeasure with his words – and also Neji's bulging, throbbing vein on the forehead – turned back to Chouji, an air of a feeling easily distinguishable as "man power", as Ino had dubbed it, empowering the cocky quirk of an eyebrow. "Anyway, how's your babe? Sure you can't wait to see her. When she's coming back?"

"In a few days. She's visiting her family right now," replied Chouji, looking rather content with his privilege of repeating the same thing all over again and not once being shunned by his peers.

_Ah, men in love…_

Kiba nodded. "She's growing big already, right? Man, I wonder what that feels like." He crossed his arms over his chest. "To know that under her heart, your very own child is growing… Heh, makes me want to regret I ain't a daddy yet. Oh, who knows, I might just adopt Ino's kid then."

Ino's eyed burned. "No."

Kiba laughed, awkward, but otherwise ignored the perturbing silence that had followed his statement. "Ugh… Yeah, well. So, Chouji, now that you're back and all that, what's the first thing you're gonna do?"

Hinata's smoldering, in reality paled violet eyes, narrowed a friction. "Kiba-kun, Chouji-san was gone only two weeks…"

"Still," persisted Kiba. "It still feels like an eternity once you have a family to return, right? I mean, I'm not talking about your parents and siblings, it's just an altogether different feeling when you have like… your _own _family. That you built yourself. Get what I'm saying?"

"Hmm…" Ino shot Chouji a ponderous look, but he merely nodded, affirming, to her displeasure, Kiba's estimation.

"He is right. Well. I can't wait until Yumiko gets back. Unfortunately, I can't go see her, not yet, anyway, with all that's going on in Konoha right now. I hear we'll be securing the borders even after the delegation's left, to ensure no soul dare take advantage of any weaker points." He paused, Neji shot him a silent look, confirming his words, and then continued. "Yes. So I have to wait. And until then… Well, I guess it's been a while since I've spoken to you guys, as seldom are all of us in Konoha at the same time, with our respectable duties…"

A moment of trailing off, and the unmistakable look of reminiscing in his eyes. Then, something weird.

"… And it's been a while since I've spoken to Shikamaru. I miss the good old times."

It wasn't weird, not by any means, and Ino didn't think much of it – and by the looks of it, Hinata and Kiba were in compliance with such words, for the act of missing someone imposed much burden on the person, as they all knew, but Neji… Neji's teetering attention, previously seen skipping all about in a feeble attempt to amuse itself with this and that instead of their trivial matters, suddenly jumped back, the figurative snap not echoing around, but still, somehow, bringing Ino's attention to it.

"Shikamaru," repeated Neji, the brows slowly knitting together, until they formed an upside down arch on his face, the many wrinkles sown symmetrically across his forehead as forecast for the unforeseeable future. "Are you close with Shikamaru? Particularly close?"

"Particularly close…? Well, I suppose so. I do consider him my closest friend, after all."

Ino wasn't getting it… No-one was but Neji who was really being cryptic, in her honest opinion, and she readied herself with a lecture already on the tip of her tongue, before Neji launched into the land of weird.

Weird turned comprehensive.

Comprehensive turned disconcerting.

"I see…" A dark look in his eyes. "I say '_the answer, how simple, this pestilence is a sin, this sin a disease, a vicious circle by all means, governing above us all, day at night, night at day_,' what is your response?"

Chouji looked up at the sky and placed a hand over his heart. "That you forgot to do this."

The rustling of leaves, the sounds of wind in the distance whipping about, howling at the windows, the sun shining down on their figures, the world turned deaf and mute, a lovely shade of black and white.

Ino stepped back, bewildered-

"Chouji… What are you-?"

Right then, without a moment of warning, Chouji's gaze darkened, the tinted cheeks gradually turning ashen, an indiscernible sensation bearing the uncanny resemblance to grief marring his eyes. "And that Shikamaru's turned desperate, that the end is nigh. This pestilence, this sin, it's not what you think it is…"

Neji looked Chouji into his eyes. "Please, explain."

"Not here… not now… let's more to a place safe."

No more words. He left them like that, too stunned to voice out their horrors, simply turning on his heels and walking off, awaiting either they startled responses, or to be followed, once more, without a word to pierce through the pregnant silence.

And his potato chips, a bad habit of his he'd become known for, lay discarded on the bench as, one after another, ignoring with folly their duties, walking only once Neji had made that decisive step forward, they trailed after him.

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

A room, vast and spacious, beautifully lit, the courtesy of Yumiko-san's skilled hands, that allowed all sunlight to stream inside seamlessly, welcomed them, the warmth of the home never quite left alone, for the minds of their owns always remained there, hitting them square in the faces, until Chouji's voice echoing from the window drifted into the air, a surprising presence after an hour or two of complete and maddening silence disturbed occasionally only by the newcomer arriving to boldly inquire about the matters at hand, though only to be shunned with unyielding fear to remain silent for now, the courtesy, in turn lacking any affection whatsoever, of the present party gathered over the past few hours, now having grown to a few more members, all still, silent, expectant.

Only Ino wasn't sure calling Sakura had been such a good idea. Maybe she ought to leave before it was too late, before the words one could never take back once more were uttered, but as she opened her mouth to voice out her worries, she realized, with a notion similar to a sudden slap of self-awareness, that she could not.

And so, she listened to Chouji's voice.

"A few years ago, I went on a mission. One of the many meant to take Naruto's mind off the Sasuke issue, but special, in a way, with a team constructed solely of people never directly involved with Sasuke. Which was why Sakura and Sai weren't allowed to join Naruto for a while until he'd come into terms with the situation… Which was why that day, Shikamaru, Naruto and I were assigned a mission. It involved, if I remember correctly, a small village in _Kaminari no Kuni_. It was an easy mission… Go there, help rebuild… A farce, of course. Naruto knew it, but still went along with it. It was… It…"

He turned around, his brows furrowed, his lips formed a straight, thin line and something acted a hindrance to speaking.

Yet, driven by the truth, he pushed past it and spoke on.

"There was this girl. I remember her name even to this day… Akiko. She was young, troubled. A man was promised to her and they loved each other deeply, but during the Fourth Ninja War, he left her to fight… Not because he wanted to, but because his best friend had gone there. Unfortunately, he was one of the casualties… Only the friend returned, but Akiko wasn't happy. She grew hateful of him, not understanding the bond between the two friends, thinking that a man was to love this unequivocally only another woman and never a man, never a man to the point of laying down own life for him… She was blind, blinkered by her hatred. She didn't understand it… She thought it… a disease, the bond between two humans."

He smiled, bitter.

"I remember, she called it _pestilence_…"

Pestilence.

What filth in one word.

"She saw, one day, Naruto lose it. I didn't blame him. Being that far for too long, it was a given he'd snap after a few weeks, which he did and it was Shikamaru who confronted him… I didn't understand the exchange. The more I tried to listen, the more the meaning of Shikamaru's thoughts eluded me… And Akiko heard, too. She witnessed the exchange and shared with us her thoughts… Naruto, I think, wanted to explain what Sasuke meant to him. He tried really heard, but to her, it didn't matter. She was hateful, furious… And hurt, I also think, and told him… '_It's a disease to love not a woman this deeply, but another man… not a sin, it's pestilence… sinful pestilence… this pestilence is a sin, this sin a disease_'."

His eyes closed.

"It felt like Naruto was breaking, but Shikamaru stepped in. The words I could never think of in a positive light were then twisted around… I remember what Shikamaru told her as he comforted Naruto. I remember. '_This pestilence is a sin, this sin a disease_, _a vicious circle by all means, governing above us all, day at night, night at day…_" Chouji's eyes opened to reveal the hope engraved in them, the sole and pitied light of hope. "J_ust a simple thing called Love_."

He leaned against the windowpane and scratched the back of his neck. "I know it sounds weird to you probably, but… I understand. The issue is the thing between Naruto and Sasuke. I don't know what it is, but Love is involved. Whether they are friends or… More… I don't know. But Shikamaru's answer was that and it helped Naruto. Afterwards, I remember, they both went off to somewhere and spoke."

Neji shook his head. "I understand… Not. I can't help but feel confused. How is that related to the issue? We already know that they have a very… difficult thing going on between them."

Ino wanted to thwack Neji, but Chouji expressed extreme bouts of patient indulgence and merely nodded his head in understanding. "Shikamaru asked me to do it. Yeah… Hm, shortly later, maybe a week or two after we returned from the mission, Shikamaru came to me and said something… That very same night, he had the seal placed on him. He asked me to share this story with you, because, as he said, it had changed him, that day in the village, and it was then he reached the conclusion, that-_I need to do this."_

_Sharply, Chouji looked up from the little snack he'd smuggled into his room and leveled Shikamaru a confusing stare. _

"_What?"_

_Instead of replying in words, an awkward body language not easily interpreted was given. Chouji's brows furrowed._

_In the usually deep, raspy voice of his, he spoke as the hands worked quickly to hide the snack to a safer place for the time being. "Shikamaru, are you alright? You're not looking well. You haven't looked too good since the last mission… And you've barely spoken since coming here. You mentioned visiting me."_

_A heaved sigh. "I… I know… I asked to come to talk and once actually here… heh, look at me." As if fearful, he hid his eyes under the palm of his hand. "Pathetic. I can't even talk. I'm sorry, Chouji…"_

"_It's alright," he answered back, voice low and lulling. "I'm your friend, you know that. Talk to me about whatever you want."_

_Shikamaru laughed, mocking, but not him, Chouji knew, because as ambiguous as it was, he knew Shikamaru would never doubt their friendship that way. _

"_Shikamaru…"_

"_I wish… _I wish I could_." Was he crying then? Sobbing? Pressured too hard. He barked out a laugh. "I can't… I don't want to, actually, and he… he didn't even have to make me promise. That goes without saying that I'd keep it… But… But." Then a disgruntled moan, a sign of displeasure, then he was putting the hand away, revealing the look Chouji had seen on him only once._

_With the death of their sensei, only then had it appeared… but why… why now… why…?_

_Shikamaru inclined his head slightly to the side, eyes falling on Chouji's figure, the frown lessening, a relieved look in the dark hues. "I guess I'm not making much sense."_

_Chouji dared to smile a little. "No…"_

"_Hah… Just as I thought… No, that's alright, even I know I'm not making sense, not at all… But… it's that-I was entrusted with a secret. To be perfectly honest with you, it's not that bad, that big of a secret. It's not. Sure, neither is it small and insignificant, but I wouldn't dwell too hard on it… Not…" _

_He trailed off and Chouji sat there, waiting for him to gather his courage and talk on._

_After a moment, the residual signs of fear subsided. Shikamaru leaned forward, hands dangling by his knees, posture awkward and painful even as Chouji surveyed him through half-narrowed, patient eyes, but he waited. Waited. As he could only do that. Shikamaru, he suspected, was trying to tell him something, but so far had not found the right way to do it._

_Not yet, anyway._

_The few moments of hurt passed, Shikamaru talked. "I thought it… Over and over again. You could say that's typical of me, or maybe atypical… I analyzed it and that, I believe, was a mistake, because the more I mulled it over and over again in my mind, the closer I was to the startling conclusion that the matter, so small for now, would soon grow to great proportions… I believe… Chouji, that within a few years' time, this secret I've been entrusted with will spiral out of control. I see it now, clearer than ever before, crystal clear, that what Naruto told me, the thing he and Sasuke did, will grow too strong and powerful… I understand now at last, that _**they**_ will let it spiral out of control, that Sasuke and Naruto, in their foolishness, in their… inability… I know, I can _see_ it. So, too clearly…"_

"_What are you saying…?"_

"_I am saying…" Shikamaru lifted his head, eyes but slits through which the icy hues pierced through all in their way. "In a few years, this secret will grow and consume us all. In a few years, it will become a danger, a threat to you or I, to our peers, to Konoha just in general, because the two it concerns are going to grow enraptured and doomed to soon fall in love and will fail to stop it… I believe, I do believe, that one small, simple trigger, something truly insignificant, will set the things in motion. And I… You know. I actually fear it."_

_Chouji turned to stare at a random point ahead, conveniently placed just on the window, behind which the crescent-shaped moon loomed. "You can't stop it."_

_Not a question._

_Shikamaru didn't need to shake his head. The answer – its clarity struck Chouji in its most unpleasant and grotesque form._

"_No… I can't… that is something I have no power over. It… I don't know. I was thinking, again… And again the results weren't good. I found out that this burden of knowing… It's not my place to know, even if Naruto needed to tell me. I guess I don't know whether to curse him for telling me or feel honored to have him consider me so trustworthy… But I was thinking that it's too great a burden. Knowing myself, knowing will eventually get troublesome and I can't afford to act, can't… And I need to keep it a secret. Even under torture, I'm sure, I'd keep it a secret, but still… the fact, the possibility of slipping, even if zero with who I am… _I decided to have a seal of silence placed on me_."_

_Chouji felt grateful that he'd not been holding anything, for as the words at last registered in his mind, he suspected any object would have slipped free, fallen, broken, shattered, and ignored for the rest of eternity._

_To his right he looked, eyes burning holes into Shikamaru's who had, at one point or another, decided to grace him with the unperturbed look of resignation in his eyes, like that of someone who was walking out the door knowing he wouldn't be coming back. _

_It was only with great difficulty that Chouji forced himself to talk; the voice then to filter in the air was shaky, bearing too much of the confusion mingled with shock to really steady itself any time soon. "What… are you saying? A seal like the one Danzo placed on Sai to keep his secrets? Why? I… Shikamaru, do you think it that necessary?"_

_Shikamaru folded his hands in his lap. "It's not a matter of… necessity, or maybe it is. It's… I feel that I need to do it. It's like a step… One on hand, it is imperative that I do it, because of the precise reason I'd told you… On the other hand, I consider that to be the trigger…"_

_Chouji almost shot up from the bed. "Are you turning yourself into a scapegoat?" _

"_Heh… I wouldn't put it that way, but essentially, I am doing that… Or something very similar. I know what it sounds like."_

"_Do you really?"_

"_Yes."_

"_It's insane, Shikamaru."_

_Shikamaru smiled, many wrinkles caressing his face. "I know… I know, trust me, but I feel I must do it. According to my calculations, there will be numerous triggers, numerous possibilities and knowing what I'd done, placed a seal on myself to protect a secret… Really, forbidden fruit? People seem to want the most the exact thing they can't have. Relying on that, I'm sure it will trigger it… But also… Don't think I'm doing it to manipulate the future. The fact remains, that, in all honesty and without a doubt, I am doing this for Naruto. Other factors play a role but…" His eyes softened. He looked so much like a child then. So lost, so wrecked and tarnished. "Naruto… His secret… Keeping it means a lot to me. See, another conclusion I reached, a question I asked myself… Are my bonds that strong? I'd never thought of them, not in that way… To do something so monstrous for someone else, to risk own life, to literally die at the hands of your most beloved person just to save them from themselves… Could I ever do that?"_

"_You-…"_

"_I don't know. I really don't, Chouji. Maybe I'm just testing myself to see if I can do it, or maybe I was just inspired by what Naruto told me, inspired to protect the bonds he holds close… I don't know why, I don't."_

_A gesture._

_Chouji didn't know why, but somehow every part of him screamed to pay close attention to it, predicting that some time in the future, it'd bear significance even to him._

_Shikamaru placed a hand over his heart. "His bonds… They mean something to me. It's a selfish desire of mine to protect them, it is. Remember the girl? Akiko… What she said, it wounded him… I talked to him about it, and he told me… He told me, laughing in that cruel, bitter way of his, that he loved Sasuke. More than anything else in the world. I don't know how he loves him, what kind of… love it is, but it touched me, even if afterwards he looked almost shocked with the revelation, like he'd said too much, or something he wasn't quite ready for. Right then, right then as he told me that, and recalling what I'd said prior to the exchange, I realized at last what was driving him to do it, what was still making him stand his ground and allow Sasuke to hold his future in his hands… it's a sick thing, repulsive, wrong in so many ways, but in my life I've not seen a bond as close as theirs… Yet, when he said it, I thought he looked so… _**Sole**_."_

_The hand curled around the material of his clothing, gripping it, knuckles turning white, ashen, then gradually even whiter, a terrible, terrible shade of shame._

"_Sole." Repeated Chouji._

_Finally… something… to understand, hold onto… No?_

"_I cannot have him feel that, not now, not after what we've-he has accomplished. I will stand by his side, as his advisor, as his close friend, and help him achieve his dreams while ensuring the dark future I saw will not take place…"_

_Chouji understood. Without asking, he understood._

"_What do I have to do?"_

_The words briefly echoed around, making their presence known and it appeared like a great burden had been lifted off Shikamaru's shoulders._

_Yet another thing he didn't voice out. Not immediately._

_Instead, he explained. _

"_Do you remember Akiko's words? Those words?_ 'This pestilence is a sin, this sin a disease. A vicious circle by all means, governing above us all. Day at night. Night at day.'_ In a few year's time, there will come a moment when I will turn too desperate, when I will feel there's nothing I can any longer do to prevent it from happening, that the end of the story is nigh. Should such a thing occur, you will hear either from me, or someone else who got the message, those exact words. Remember them, Chouji, and remember what I told Akiko afterwards. '_Just a simple thing called Love.' _You will know then that it's too late. That the precautions I took didn't help. Remember the story with Akiko. Remember it. And tell them, when they ask about the event that transpired on that day, to make them understand… That, first, the message is not about hate but explains, exactly, the thing between Naruto and Sasuke, that the… bond they have, is close to obsession, close to a sickness, the love they share… Remember." _

_Chouji's eyes, without being told to, fell once more on Shikamaru's hand still on top of his heart, now laying pressed flat against the chest, the wrinkled clothing pooled around it._

"_Remember this. The answer is right here."_

"_The heart," echoed Chouji._

_Shikamaru nodded. "It's in the heart. For the eyes to see. A special set of eyes. But only when side by side will the eyes work."_

"_The heart…"_

_The heart? But…_

_Shikamaru stood up._

"_I need to get. Understand this, please and… Thank you, Chouji." He smiled._

_Chouji managed one back but-heart? Hence the gesture? But…_

"_I will not forget what you just told me, Shikamaru. Never."_

"_Heh…" Now, Shikamaru's smile turned genuine. "I never doubted that, Chouji, not even for a moment. I just hope that one day you and everyone else will understand, why I-_had to do it." Chouji paused, mouth dry, eyes watery, cheeks flushed, teeth clenched and lower lip – quivering. "That's why he had to do it. And that's what he said. It's… What I promised. To remember. And I did. For many years, I kept this memory in my mind, because I believed in his words and still do. Now, I hope you will make me understand why he had to do it, make himself the enemy..."

"… Our enemy," finished Ino.

This? This, the story? The one they'd yearned to hear? But…

_Oh, god, Shikamaru, I'm so sorry…_

No words, no time, no nothing could provide them with what they needed to come in terms with the new discovery, only after a while did Neji's cool voice dare interrupt the lazy light shining through in the room and, as Ino duly noted, that had to be the first time she heard him sound this shaken.

"Special eyes… like Byakugan…Not Sharingan, no, that wouldn't make sense… So-the message for either Hinata or I is to activate the Byakugan when Naruto and Sasuke are together and search for something in their… hearts…"

Visibly shaken.

Most mortified.

Ino wanted to laugh.

To think the ever stoic Neji could sound this frightened, this affected… Only because a story that had shaken her to her very core too and – she didn't dare look at Sakura. No.

No… For once, Ino wanted to humor herself in believing she was the only one in the world.

She wanted to be selfish.

Neji spoke again. "… I can do it. I can do it even now. The delegation-listen to the background sounds. They're leaving Konoha now. Sasuke and Naruto, they will be-definitely there and-I can do it… I can."

Tall, dark and a captivating sight to the sore eyes, he walked.

Ino knew they were ditching their duties. Their… chores, their roles of keeping the city safe and it was such a hindrance to know that right now, because despite the situation, a part of her felt troubled by it, as anyone could breach their defenses now… and strike and hurt and maim and pillage and all that and… She couldn't move away.

She sat down in the nearest armchair.

Wordlessly, Sakura left the room next. Where… A mystery, but not really a conundrum.

Kiba followed soon afterwards.

_Duties_, Ino kept telling herself, _all leaving to attend to them, for sure._

Tenten shot a look in the direction of the door and left too. Lee, for once, didn't wish to stand by his love's side, instead looking rigid, uncomfortable, before he, too, left.

Eventually, it was just Ino, Kiba and Chouji.

In the moment of weakness, she looked in either in turn, before conjuring up a genuinely helpless look.

"At least… We have the piece of puzzle Kakashi-sensei doesn't… So… we can exchange information… that we can find the strength to."

Kiba's eyes landed on her figure. "… What now?"

Chouji's gaze focused on the cheering crowds, on the delegation leaving Konoha just outside the window. "Now… Now we wait. For the last, last trigger. Then… Then we fight."

Fight.

In this peaceful world, only the word fight offered, ironically enough, the assurance they needed.

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

"What you told me…"

The crowds cheering, slowly dispersing in the background and late, very late afternoon, late enough for mothers to be sending their youngest ones off to their beds, a small fairy tale book already clasped firmly in their hands as the children vehemently protested, hoping to see more of the glorious Sand delegation that had succeeded.

Only few knew how exactly the dialogues had gone, but just by looking at the cooperation between the Sand and Fire jounins, it was obvious an agreement of great importance had been reached and that, at last, the peace could grow on, ensuring a world a safer place for all.

Naruto ignored them and at the great Konoha gate, devoid of most living beings – safe for the jounins guarding it, the crowds at a safe distance, disappearing off to their homes as the show was over and it was time to return back to their lives –, they halted, prompted by Gaara's sudden words.

Temari and Kankuro looked at each other quizzically, the few nearby jounins respectfully stepped aside – knowing it to be a high risk, but maybe worth it, because Naruto's body language insisted and they couldn't deny him that – and Gaara turned to face him, the dispassionate face of his melting away to express-concern.

Concern… Naruto ignored his own uncomfortable fretting.

Gaara stood there. "What you told me… I will treasure that secret, Uzumaki Naruto, but I can't leave without saying anything… We had no time to speak today, which disappoints me, as I would have said more. This way, I can only leave a few parting words…" The dark bangs around his eyes seemed to turn charcoal. "What you two did… That secret, it is not healthy. Already, you're breaking, buckling underneath the pressure, both you and Uchiha. I predict that soon, an event will turn your world upside down and as the bearer of this secret, you will be forced down to your knees… Soon, the very secret you keep, will keep you. I fear for you… for your sake, well-being…" A hand was outstretched, falling on Naruto's shoulder. "I fear for what the man can do to you… Please, disregard what you feel, that bond, and be wary of him… _Before you really fall a prey to the seal_."

The clouds above shifted, accommodating the mood of the words the wind had spirited away only moments after he'd said them.

And then.

It was all over.

The delegation was gone.

To think Naruto had hoped for much nicer parting words, for a hug of sorts, the friendly patting each other on the back, the winking and laughing and all those actions deemed pleasant. Not this, not-Naruto couldn't move.

His heart sank a little and quietly he watched the delegation depart, their beloved Kazekage-sama seated in a carriage, carried beyond the physical boundaries of Konoha, off to the distance behind the green trees and flourishing greenery, off with his fellow ninjas in tow, all guarding him until… Until, _heh,_ the day he died. And even after that.

The wind blew by.

Naruto looked down at his feet.

To his right, Sasuke appeared, as stealthy, as cat-like and elegant as ever, the dark hair billowing only slightly, kidnapped by the wind, before falling once more to stroke the outlines of his face.

He felt Sasuke's burning gaze on him, felt him get closer, felt a mixture of relief and doubt as that presence enveloped him at last, filling his body with the warmth it'd desired since its abrupt note of absence, but still the doubt persisted, residing in the shallowest parts of the mind, gnawing on his thoughts-

-Sasuke moved and Naruto's hand rose, making impact with Sasuke's chest, stopping him.

Sasuke probably froze and Naruto probably had to have gone insane, but-

-instinctively, he looked over his shoulder, not knowing what exactly to look for, yet beckoned by a panicky voice, until at last, a bit further away, he saw Neji.

Neji, the Byakugan activated, the veins around his eyes throbbing – the eyes which, open impossibly wide, contained as much shock and horror in them as the entire world could muster.

Naruto felt it sink in, confused-before Sasuke's hand grabbed his and the knowing arrived.

No… No…

"Neji…"

A breath short of being a shriek.

Neji's lips parted.

"_What have you done?_"

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, but the story idea is mine alone.

**A/N:** This. Is. INSANE. How is it possible the chapters just keep getting longer? I have got to be **mental**. I mean. The chapter alone without this annoying ramble is over 12 000 words long. _Seriously._ I… I am mental, guys. Cheers. At least it was all very essential for the story. And, hm, I actually seem to have a thing for cliffhangers. Best not to make it a habit. :(

Anyway, I really wanted to give Chouji a family of his own, a beautiful wife and a baby boy/girl on its way. I do like him as a character, see, as I consider him well-rounded, no pun intended, and quite developed. And he is sweet and deserves some loving. Also, as for his wife – she is more of an NPC than an OC, so you don't have to fear her appearing and playing an important role in the story. Nah, she might appear just for the sole purpose of making Chouji positively _shine_ with happiness. : )

Also, so Sasuke and Naruto are sleeping together, huh? Or… Are they? Hm, and if so, in what way? It's kind of amazing how the ambiguous words are ambiguous twice. I mean, how did I manage that? Anyway… I was just trying to say… Don't be fooled by what was said but, at the same time, don't dismiss it : ) Those two, they still have many secrets to share with you guys.

And! Last but not least… Shikamaru _was_ right, you know. The end is nigh. The end of **Sole** **Part I**, is nigh. Oh, I didn't say, did I? The story is divided into two parts, duh. Sole I, Sole II, with the plots intertwined, the stories continued and carried over from Sole I to Sole II. In Sole II, all questions presented in Sole I will be answered but you don't have to worry, I won't be posting a new story. Just one day, you will see at the end of a chapter something like "Sole I over" and in the following chapter a note saying "Sole II" will be added at the top. That was just to clear up the confusion : ) The… possible confusion. Ehm… So what does that mean? That soon, really, really soon, one great secret will be revealed and another, already brewing, already mentioned, will take its place. Oh, don't worry… I had this planned from the _**very**_ beginning c: Can't wait, _eeee_.

So, see you in a week, either Tuesday or Wednesday later afternoon/early night. Ciao!

PS: How did you like the kiss? ;)

Remember to review! (((:

_In next chapter, Kakashi finally shares, a new threat is revealed, life goes on but Neji doesn't, a secret weapon shows up, some people suffer and peace… Well, peace isn't really a matter of forever and ever…_

**Rating:** PG-13 for themes, blood, swearwords (most of which have yet to make an appearance).

**Summary:** At twenty two, Naruto has achieved all; a Hokage at last, a man respected and loved, he rules his nation with compassion and understanding, bringing together lost families and friends, and disposing of those that dare oppose his peace. And Sasuke ever-so-faithfully stands by his side, an unchanging status for almost six years, and after these six years, people, villagers, their teachers and friends finally start to ask: "What is happening between Naruto and Sasuke?"

**Setting:** Six years after the Fourth Ninja War, so all ages have been changed accordingly. Naruto is the Hokage, but how exactly he achieved the status will be revealed step-by-step, along with many other details related to the "rookie nine" and all other characters.

**Warning:** There will be no OCs, only, perhaps, some OOCness which I'm partial to as anyone else, so that's excusable. Don't go around calling this yaoi, as Sole isn't yaoi, it merely contains strong _shounen-ai _hints. The purpose of this story is not to indulge anyone's perverse fantasies involving Sasuke and Naruto, but to elaborate further on the complex relationship they share as demonstrated in both manga and anime. With that said, I **love** the pairing, but I'm not promising anything. _Story will contain basic Japanese honorifics._

Thanks for reading. Remember to R&R! x)

If you have any questions, add them in a review or message me personally :)


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter_Six__Re_fl**e**ct

"_So I got made the Hokage."_

_Sasuke's brows rose. His eyes landed on Naruto's estranged form stood on the threshold. Behind him, the sun; in front – no-one but Sasuke himself._

_Slowly, he stood up and walked over to Naruto, ignoring the protesting eyes, the frozen smile upside-down, the silent inquiry in his movement, all that acted a hindrance – and placed a hand right above the young man's heart._

"_Our deal. It's becoming complete."_

_Naruto's eyes, wide, blinked, the eyelids heavy, and Sasuke shielded his sight from the eyesore. _

_That pathetic, pitiful little question of "why now"._

"_It is. You know what to do."_

_Still pressing on and on and on, until the day death did them part._

_Naruto's chest rose, a breath taken, the slight noise as it went past his lips and slammed against the windpipe echoing around, before at last the blue eyes landed on Sasuke's dark pair and – widened even more._

"… _Yeah," he said, a frown marrying his brows. "I guess so… Time to fulfill our promise, eh?" _

_Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Yes. And time for you to celebrate."_

_Naruto gave him an awkward, small smile, head inclined to the side, hand automatically rising to tightly envelope around Sasuke's, holding it in place – reminding both of them of the promise they'd made. _

"_Yeah, so it seems… Heh… "_

_Behind him, the never-lasting, mocking daylight. Sasuke's other hand rested on the small of Naruto's back, slight pressure applied – until the man's body made impact with his own and he felt empowered once more._

"_Yes, at last. Are you happy, Naruto? I am, I really am happy for you."_

_Naruto didn't answer._

_Sasuke, in all honesty, could not blame him. Yet, despite the murderous glare, despite the clenching of his fists, the wrinkling of the material and the gritting of his teeth, he would not cease – even if, even if every part of him, the very core of his being included, screamed at him to stop. _

_Even if… Even if Naruto's very erratic breathing begged for it._

"_It's time that you serve them… Time at last. I am really glad, Naruto, for both of us… At last we can finish what we started, right? At last."_

_The eyes snapped wide shut. _

_Naruto's breathing calmed down, resigned at last._

_Sasuke, without a question, felt a heated surge of hatred for himself. And no-one but himself._

"_Finally, after four years, the deal is being fulfilled. Can you feel it, Naruto? Tell me you can; the struggle, the mad fight for mayhem, the one of our souls as the seal gets stronger and more powerful… It is mad. So, so very mad… _For your potential demise._"_

_Naruto's hand fell by his side._

_Resigned, at last._

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

_Madara was staring at them. Maybe surveying the damage he'd taken, maybe thinking now, when it was too late, that he shouldn't have left it up to him to deal with the boy, that he ought to have acted before because even he understood now the fight had gone for too long, the parties had sustained great injuries and maybe – maybe, he too, doubted who'd win now._

_Maybe, now that it really was too late, he was dubious of Sasuke's ability to defeat Naruto and, maybe, he had realized at last what Sasuke was doing._

_That to hell with the plan to win, to hell with all that the power-possessed, self-obsessed man had planned, to hell with it all because Sasuke was getting what he wanted, he was getting it – in hearty, fulfilling sips that cooled him._

_In a maddening surge of self-awareness that left him drunk._

_Because he'd decided, long ago, to put an end to his revenge, because he'd seen, just moments ago, the end of the tunnel and there was no light at all, only the blurred, still figure of Him with a hand extended in his direction, slowly walking forward as Sasuke took short, slow-paced steps towards him, the hand rising to mirror the gesture._

_They'd meet once more, cross paths even in afterlife. Sasuke expected to see him there, be it hell or heaven, as he'd learned from this last encounter that wherever he went, Uzumaki Naruto did, too._

_And no Madara, no Fourth Ninja War, no Tsunade, no Kakashi, no Fate, no Will of Fire, no Nothing in this God Forsaken world could stop it._

_Madara moved._

_Sasuke attempted to stand up – but under his weakening hold on himself, the hands gave out, the face impacting with the ground, sand and dust invading his windpipe, mixing with blood from the many ruptures-and his hands stung, scraped._

_Sweat clung into him, reminiscing along with him, thinking back against his best initial wishes to having been struck again and again and all over again, consuming him wholly until he'd all but given in, welcoming, warmly – heatedly –, the innocuous presence of death looming above them._

_He gasped out – heard a similar moan of displeasure –, forced himself up on his knees, body slowly responding to his commands and moving by miniscule portions, finally beckoned to a seated position, the hands outstretched before him, pressed flat against the ground._

_They'd die together._

_He'd not heard of anything more beautiful ever before._

_Rejuvenated, he managed to stand up, body moving only rigidly, the brain in vain trying to push more power into it. _

_All for naught._

_But at least – at least he had an upper hand, being more powerful and knowing already the future. Understanding it. Whereas Naruto…_

_He smirked – smirked – no, laughed._

_The barricades long gone, it echoed around as he caved in. So sweetly into the knowledge, into the beautiful reality of dying together, empowered, exhilarated, the surge of power sending electrifying, sizzling jolts all around, the spark flying about, the Chidori formed on instinct. _

_From the distance close, the pinnacle of perfection and strength, the Rasengan growing impossibly big, fed with hatred within, swirling blue and red as Naruto caved in just as well and the Kyuubi interfered with their poetic death._

_Sasuke's laugh stilled, ears listening only to the cracking of his Chidori, to the cracking of Rasengan, doing so in perfect sync as if the chakras understood them the best. _

_It was perfect._

_So… So… perfect… He looked up. The sky, so blue and wide, blind in its folly, clueless to what was to transpire next and Madara – Madara, the fool, gazing down upon him, not knowing a damn thing, not understanding him at all. _

_His lips twitched, slowly twisted upwards, giving up the control over his facial expressions, the smile pulled onto the face only thanks to the magic of the events to unfold._

_And Sasuke smiled._

_Naruto charged._

_Sasuke's eyes closed, body moving automatically._

_Running, hand extending, seeing the heart-eyes opening, blood red and wretched, paying the ransom for the kidnapping at last, no longer fighting._

_A clash._

_The brushing of the tornado past his ear, cutting into the dark strands, leaving them to be swept away, along with his bits and pieces of clothing, all shredded, along with his-_

_Hopes?_

_And the sizzling crackle stilled, the situation calmed and Sasuke felt warm and home, knew he'd achieved his end, knew that-_

"_Sasuke…"_

… _Knew that his hand was safely buried in his heart, leaving it to resemble nothing more but a gory mess of blood and tissue, all pushed aside with the brutal force of his genius. _

_But something was wrong._

_So, so very wrong. With the blood on his face, dripping down the lashes, caressing the parted lips, down the chin and onto the ground, at last to accompany the puddle of blood already there, no longer sad for the rest of the life force would soon follow._

_But then, what would be left of him?_

_Of Naruto?_

_And why… why was… Why was…_

_Sasuke's eyes widened._

_Behind him, the Rasengan hit a rocky wall positioned just a mile or two away, the collision of forces sending a tremor through the ground below. _

_Naruto's eyes opened._

_Now, now, somehow, anyhow, in a twisted tale of love of two brothers, it was his turn to smile that eternal smile._

"_I couldn't do it, Sasuke." _

_A spurt of blood, its imminent explosion from Naruto's back, the hand finally coming out on the other side, leaving him, Him, HIM, impaled._

_Through and through._

_Impaled and… And._

_And-_

_Sasuke screamed. "YOU IDIOT!"_

_Naruto's body slid further down the hand, falling forward, held upwards only because of Sasuke, but WHO CARED._

_WHO CARED._

_Shallow, his breathing, raspy gasps for more._

_WHY._

"_Our ending, Naruto, OUR ENDING!"_

_Naruto, against Sasuke's shoulder, smiled. _

_Sasuke raged, the bloodied hand balled into a fist. "OUR ending… OUR… our… How dare you ruin it?" How dare he… ruin the fate… Defy it, did he? Bullshit. That was a lie. _

_That was… That was supposed to have been THEIR ending. Together, dying, by each other's hand… the stupid dead last… Again ruining everything. Everything. With his stupid love, stupid friendship, stupid. Goddamn. WORTHLESS MORALS._

"_I HATE YOU."_

_He thrust his hand back and Naruto fell._

_Why. Why… Why… _

_Propelled back by the force known as gravitation, his body dropped onto the ground, a gaping, dark hole where his heart had once been-_

"_Why? Why… Why… Ruining everything… Naruto… I hate you…" _

_Buckled underneath his weight, sent down to kneel by him, right next to his dying body._

_The dead, breathless smile on his paling, sunken face._

_Sasuke stared._

_Painstakingly slow, Naruto's head moved to side, the still just boy's eyes penetrating through Sasuke._

_How… how was he… still…_

_Sasuke's body tensed. How was he still alive? Should have died along ago… After all, with no heart, the blood wasn't getting pumped, the oxygen not reaching distributed… That was inhuman, irrational, completely inexplicable, but regardless… If the removal of the heart wouldn't kill him, then the lack of oxygen would._

_Naruto would suffocate._

_He couldn't-"Why… Tell me why are you still alive?"_

_Naruto's eyes the color of the sky above narrowed briefly, a silent, maybe snappish inquiry of "isn't that obvious" written all cross, before his lips parted._

_Sasuke understood._

_His will. His will was keeping him alive._

_Leaving him to suffocate._

_A painful, disgraceful death._

_Sasuke's rage grew. "Why won't you just die? Why? Just DIE already." His fists rose and fell, hitting Naruto on the chest, a profound show of a child's tantrum, a hissy little fit._

"_You're going to suffocate, you IDIOT. Just give up. You lost!" A hand curled around Naruto's clothing, his face nearing Naruto's-"You're going to suffocate. Don't you understand? _**Naruto**_."_

_Naruto… The fool… Trying to prove that-_

_-the sun reflected off the blood got his attention._

_On his hand now grasping Naruto's top, the blood shimmered._

_His breath hitched in his throat-funny. The irony of life… Who was suffocating now?_

_He laughed through agony, resting his forehead against Naruto's chest, hair dipped in the blood. _

_He had to… Why kill this lowly leech? Why? Why, simple._

_Because there was the choice he'd made. A long, long time ago, as the lone survivor of the massacre and he wouldn't change his mind even now, never had even when the fool had protested. It was his duty, destiny… That of the last Uchiha. That of an avenger. _

"_Sasuke…"_

_It didn't matter the fool had not dodged and had –_ thrown _himself to his own death. Down the cliff, arms wide open as he welcomed its precocious breath on his face. That idiot. _

_Stupid, stupid idiot… Never cared for him, that pathetic one life that was still nothing in comparison to his – HIS suffering, Sasuke's suffering… Or maybe he'd wanted to. Earned for it. Never admitted it. It'd haunted him._

_The thought of killing him._

_But he'd never-_

"_Sasuke… it's alright…"_

_Destiny… Pre-destined. This meeting. The two of them, meant to kill each other… Stupid. Bullocks. His own choice, his own hands, his… move. He'd made the choice himself, grasped the destiny in his hand, wringing its neck. No being above stood to watch over his life, none but him decided what was to transpire next._

_That detail he knew, was certain of it. So this didn't matter. Just another death. Just another stupid number. Just another person slain for the path of a true avenger. Just…_

_No, he wasn't sure. He wasn't at all. About-"It's alright… it's alright…"_

"_You… are dying… Naruto… You _are_ dead."_

_So just die ALREADY. _

_Just die, please… Please… You are suffocating… Such a stupidly slow and painful death… Undeserving of you… Done by him, performed by him. His hand had struck… His-he sat back, looked down at him, at His hand outstretched in his direction, at the dying life in his eyes._

_He knew, of course, comprehended fully, what he'd done, caused and wrought, that havoc, but maybe, just maybe, a part of him had remained blissfully ignorant, a decision opted without his accord, to the reality, to the thing… That small, puny detail that, perhaps, but just perhaps, the blood of his, so hot, trailing down his arm didn't feel as delectable as he'd thought._

_No, it was not delectable at all._

_Not at all._

_Not-_

_Naruto's hand rose. Sasuke could swear he saw Itachi before him because-why else would the dying man feel compelled to flick him on the forehead? Why that gesture, why-why the finger trailing down, leaving a bloodied path behind._

"_Naruto."_

_Dead, the hand dropped on the ground._

"_Naruto…"_

_Those gentle, soothing eyes saw right through him, but the light in them was dimmed, all that'd made him stand out now vanishing into nothingness._

_All because of him not committing to the act of killing him._

_Inside Sasuke, all boiled._

"_Naruto… I hate you."_

_Naruto… Why… Why…_

_He caressed his face._

_The eyes started to close._

_Just a few seconds left… Just a few seconds left… A few last seconds._

_NO._

_All power to his eyes, filling them blazing red, both hands on the other's face, close enough that Sasuke could see each and every mark left behind after the years spent chasing him._

_Close enough he understood._

_Until their eyes met and-right a split second before Naruto's blues forever shut the world off, their minds connected and Sasuke-_

_Saw black._

"Remember brat, what I told you… That you would regret killing Naruto."

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

_So Sasuke had betrayed him, it appeared, killing the Kyuubi host instead of gravely injuring him._

_Well, no matter, Madara could still extract the beast from him even if it'd take a lot more effort now. And Sasuke would be disposed of shortly after, having been a complete failure in the end._

_Madara's only visible eye narrowed. Without further ado, he descended down on earth, right between the unconscious forms of Killer Bee and his brother A. Ah, Killer Bee… A formidable foe, a pity he'd proven himself just as useless in battle as the Kyuubi host, with all that pent up anger of his and aggression… Really, these lowly beings were so pitiful in all their inhuman glory._

_For a few more seconds, Madara stared at Killer Bee, before moving past him, thinking he'd extract the eight-tailed beast a bit later. After all, he had all the time in the world and Kyuubi, with the host gone, was more important. And Sasuke still sat over the body, guarding it, maybe._

_Funny that he'd appreciate his worth now, after killing him._

_Actually, funny that he'd not moved since a while… Almost a minute, actually… Actually…_

_There was still some residual life in Naruto._

_Madara's body halted._

_Life… In that boy? With no heart? He should have died by now, suffocated in the least because of his obstinacy and refusal to accept own fate. A foolish thing on his part, but how come he was still alive? He shouldn't be, not unless-_

_Madara scoffed and walked over to the pair, stopping only once he had a good look on Sasuke's face._

"_Sasuke, what are you doing," he hissed, noting the activated Sharingan, the intent look in his face, and the host's almost dead eyes as if frozen mid-way through to closing completely and-the deduction came to him rather quickly, informing him of the reality being that, committing forever and ever to the dementia, Sasuke had entered the dying Naruto's mind. _

_That fool._

"_What are you doing? Sasuke, that will not save him, he is dead already. You're postponing the inevitable," he spoke, calm, cool and collected still even despite the troublesome circumstances. Sasuke could hear him, he knew, and it was obvious he wouldn't respond… But this was getting annoying._

_He put a hand on the Uchiha's shoulder. _

"_Sasuke, cease it at once. There's nothing you can do that would save him. Uzumaki Naruto as you once knew him is dead. He has died. By your hand."_

_A twitch. Wha-?_

_Naruto's finger twitched._

_What…? Madara's eyes moved to rest on the finger, narrowing in an unspoken suspicion, pondering if he was hallucinating or the boy really had shown signs of life._

_Impossible. He was dead. Truly dead. Not even Kyuubi could-_

_Wai-_

_The wound on his chest knitting together faster than Madara's mind could process._

_The blood suddenly flowing through his veins as vivaciously as the day he'd been born._

_The body coming to life the same way as every time he'd fallen asleep and then woken up._

"_Impossible-!"_

_A sudden explosion of force. _

_A wavelength of determination, then the insane amounts of chakra spilling from Naruto's body, knocking Sasuke over, forcing Madara's body to step back._

_And Naruto was standing up, the hole on his chest gone, the eyes frog and fox-like, tinted orange and golden, clothing and hair sticking to him, blood splatter all about._

_From the ground, Sasuke called, weak and almost dying, barely enough strength in him to speak up, but the force behind his words was all the more present._

"_Remember our deal, Naruto… Now go do it."_

_Naruto's eyes widened._

_Madara's narrowed. _

_Foolish… "Come at me, Uzumaki Naruto. With all you've got."_

_Barely the sentence had finished, and a bright yellow flash was charging at him._

_Why._

_Why did Madara think that-_

_Suddenly, as if-_

_-that he could lose._

Sasuke, what happened in Naruto's mind?

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

The Parade was over.

The so-called Parade, in reality Charade, had come to its end.

Alright, Kakashi was being a tad too harsh on the folks, mostly when the dialogues, as the elders had called them, otherwise incapable of referring to them in anything but a highly melodramatic way that called for a sense of urgency, had gone truly well, but that wasn't really the point, was it?

Cookie points evenly redistributed, Kakashi still thought there had been no need at all for the peace talks – yes, peace talks, a phrase he rather much preferred; only the incessant pressure put on Naruto's shoulders and the yammering about how he could not meet the Kazekage because of some political status and the upholding of his law and dignity had eventually forced Naruto to yield in and call for the "dialogues", caving into their demands and doing mostly the standing and smiling pretty part. Only, to their dismay, their beloved Hokage had after a few days of patiently awaiting the arrival of his friend lost patience and ordered to hurry up the preparations, eventually sending Gaara the invitation himself with a few notes how the waiting should be reduced to but a bare week.

Ha, he still planned on congratulating Naruto on that little stunt, but their Hokage had been – as per usual – busy with catering to Sasuke's needs and barely showing at all since the delegation had left, so the chances of speaking to him directly these days had slowly turned essentially zero.

Kakashi pondered when that would stop. Maybe a few more days? Well, weren't four days already enough?

He sighed and leaned against the wall, surveying the people passing by on the street.

No, apparently not.

Four days, four weeks… Nothing would help. Hm, this had gone on for too long.

Way too long…

"Sakura, it's convenient of you to show up just here."

Behind him the shifting of shadows until Sakura emerged from the dark alleyway, a deeply troubled look on her face. "Kakashi-sensei, have you seen Neji?"

Kakashi's brows rose. "Neji?" Well, that was a surprise… He'd been pegging her question to be something along the lines of "tell us the truth" or anything that expectant, not this… Normal. Although…

"Well," he started, taking his time, sensing, despite the ridiculously simple quality of the question, the presence of something greater behind it. "No, not for a while. I knew he was around to see the delegation off, but that's it."

Worry creased her eyebrows. "I see…"

She should have been in the hospital, working as per usual, teaching basic healing jutsu or doing classes with their _king_, not looking for a conveniently male young ninja around her age with no attachments and with no real deeper relation with her.

Suspicious, indeed.

"Did anything happen?"

"No, I…" A frown. "Kakashi-sensei, I think we should exchange information now." Similarly as he, she leaned against the wall right next to him.

Kakashi looked at her from the corner of his eyes; he knew her well enough to understand she wouldn't be saying it unless she had something valuable to share, and thus it was not a matter of trust, but acknowledging the facts. Thinking to stop being so secretive for once, he said: "What do you propose?"

"We need to join forces. This is no longer a petty task. It's crucial that we cooperate in solving this mystery. You and we and all the other jounin." Absently, she looked at the people on the street, walking by in all their blissful ignorance. But here and there, a thoughtful face showed, prompting Kakashi to believe it had begun.

It was starting.

The end to this.

"I'm listening."

"I believe Neji has successfully found out what is between Naruto and Sasuke."

A startled look. Kakashi stared. "You have my full attention, Sakura."

She nodded. "I tell you what we've managed to find out. In turn, you tell us what you know and help us find Neji… Neji… He… He hasn't appeared in four days."

"And you think those two are connected," he commented, getting another short nod in response.

"Yes… He went to see… the message was that only special eyes could see it… His ocular jutsu would have uncovered it then, but how come… How come he's not shown? Not ever since… Four days now…" She paused. Kakashi waited. She looked up. Kakashi wished he could see in her mind. "Kakashi-sensei… Do you think…? Do you think that Naruto would… That in order to keep his secret, he'd go as far as to…?"

Kakashi pushed himself off the wall and walked around her, until the alley before welcomed him with its impenetrable darkness slightly reminiscent of his recent findings, and Sakura's body stood by his side.

"Let's go. You'll tell me the story on the way."

"Where?" she asked just as she joined him.

"Sakura, how many jounin do you think we're talking about here?"

He stepped on, Sakura in tow, a questioning look in her eyes.

Kakashi couldn't help it; he smiled, the sign of marveling at her ever-present child-like naivety. "Let's say we're talking hundreds."

She stopped.

Kakashi let out a hearty smile, hand slung around her shoulders, pulling her along. "And let's say that not even Shikamaru knows about that. Now, how about you start? So what were you saying…? Ah, right. Neji found out. How?"

A moment later, just as the darkness of the alley embraced them, Sakura launched into an explanation, the solitude its parting and greeting gift, allowing them to fully indulge each other in controversial talks of the lowered inhibitions and the putrid secret of Naruto and Sasuke.

If only, however, if only Kakashi had known what the young woman's words would bring.

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

Despite its size, hiding something in Konoha could be an issue, mostly if the person hoping to commit to such an act was of a high ranking position, wherein all secrets, even if taken for granted, were slightly bigger than the man in possession himself and keeping them became a problem of power control and relinquishing control.

The Danzo era had died along with the old man, ensuring the questionable pure intentions of all existing parties, Naruto himself all inclusive.

But referring back to the part above, even the Hokage's secret, the bigger the worse, would at one point or another stop being one. The walls of the secrecy would be breached, curious eyes peeking through the cracks, unseeing and seeing, noticing much more than the figurative inch-wide crack in the walls should have allowed.

Thus, it was no wonder that after six weeks, people finally started looking.

With looking came seeing, with seeing came the confrontation, with confrontation – to delusion and confusion, consideration and repentance, prodding and poking, alluding to and referring, inspecting and hating, not comprehending and prying open, to the eventual state of recognition and understand, the reality of finally using the eyes, the ears, all five senses, until all five combined created the sixth.

That was how the people of Konoha started the revolt of comprehension.

How it came to be that from one day to another, the gossip spread until the unprecedented moment of children talking to one another about Them.

Always together.

Wherever Hokage-sama went, so did he. Uchiha Sasuke.

People avoided Sasuke because, as some claimed, they were afraid of butting into his affairs, or maybe of getting that icy glare in turn for daring to speak to their beloved Hokage, but in reality they were simply watching.

Because the love of their current Hokage had taught them to see.

Because his pain, inadvertently caused by them and no-one else, had taught them a great deal about reading underneath the underneath, about the soul and the mind and the heart of every being around.

It was no wonder then they'd kept to themselves the entire time, not ignorance but knowledge garnering them the reputation of too obediently following each word and command – and it wasn't that under other circumstances they would have rebelled a long time ago, but that now – now they had to.

Obey. With love. And passion.

And a hidden agenda.

To protect their Hokage, if necessary, from Uchiha Sasuke.

Because they saw how Uchiha Sasuke looked at him.

They saw the raw lust, the waves of love and the poisonous touch of jealousy whenever their Hokage was approached, whenever a pair of eyes fell on him, whenever a touch grazed him, a voice echoed – called to him, whenever left alone, for even the devil slept, their Hokage interacted with others.

They saw the tailing, the following and stalking, the incessant and immaculate puppy love.

Love.

Still love.

But love, dear friends, love hurt the most.

More than war, more than death, more than loss.

Naruto and Sasuke, stood side by side, would walk down the village, touring it on every day basis, a few hours lost this way, and Sasuke would be the shadow, the guardian behind him, before him, next to him by both sides, and above – the sun, and under – the ground. He'd encompass himself in all around, filling it with his keen, watchful sense of possession, obsession, regression and depression.

And whenever an evil eye scolded the man for it, reproachfully glaring daggers, Naruto would turn around and chastise.

One, two, three people.

The entire village.

No-one to touch Naruto on the behalf and command of Uchiha Sasuke.

No-one to touch Sasuke on the request and demand of Uzumaki Naruto.

And one day, people snapped.

Keeping a secret was straining, painful, slips were guaranteed, but they were smarter than the two, they understood secrecy.

Slowly they gathered, first in a groups of two to three people, growing, like the impending doom, to vast and sheer numbers, until, one late evening, during the era of eternal peace eternally cursed, Kakashi found himself in a great tower with two hundred pairs of eyes staring down at him as he, word to word, retold the tell-tale of Sakura's, the story which left a bitter taste on his mouth and the unquenchable thirst for more in his mind.

That was how, that day – because in that ever-peaceful time, right after the delegation there weren't many job offers and Naruto had been far too busy catering to the needs of his companion, too busy, in fact, to realize that whole of his jounin had not been assigned a mission in days –, all down to one gathered in the most conspicuous and yet unsearched place, on even grounds, disrespecting all differences, ignoring all tiffs of the past and acknowledging only one thing of importance.

"Hyuuga Neji must be found."

Kakashi looked towards the jounin and nodded.

Another spoke. "Frankly, I don't believe that Hokage-sama would just slaughter his friend, even if it concerns this."

"Agreed. So he must be elsewhere. Hmm… Hyuuga-sama, do you suspect a place?"

Hinata's father thought for a moment. "Difficult to say. It's possible Neji may have simply… Hidden? No. I have no idea. But I also doubt Hokage-sama would have him murdered in cold blood simply for the reason of keeping his secret."

"So it's settled then." The speaker paused. Kakashi's eyes lazily landed on him. "We must find him."

Consensus.

"Nara-san, asking your son would be a loss of time then?"

"No doubt. The matter's gotten very troublesome," said the man, the trademark expression present even in his speech. "To think this started as a small gathering just about two years ago… And now this. Tsunade-sama, couldn't you appeal to Hokage-sama?"

All eyes landed on Tsunade. Seldom did the woman ever speak, for somehow reserved she seemed in the matters of her adopted son. Even now she as lifted her head, acknowledging their inquiry, did Kakashi see the hesitation carved into her deceitfully young face. She wouldn't help.

_Rather, she cannot._

"I've tried… And failed. Each and every time. Naruto refuses to see our point of view. He claims he has it all under control, but it's been getting worse lately… Unfortunately, I see no other way but to actually look for Neji and see what he found out, as Naruto and Shikamaru won't say a word… And least of all Sasuke."

_Sasuke… Almost like a curse word_, noted Kakashi in his mind.

How strange… And just years ago, they'd still glorified the name. Now they detested it. Like they had, once upon a time, detested the Uzumaki.

All lapsed into silence.

All thinking, pondering it over.

Finding Neji would be tough, as even Naruto had his ways of hiding things from them, given how little they still knew even despite their ever-growing numbers, and if Neji had left on his own accord, hidden in a place elsewhere and safe to mull it over… Kakashi didn't want to dwell too hard on it.

Was it truly that much of a horrific thing? Shikamaru, from Chouji's tale retold by Sakura, had sounded despaired and on the brink of something and even his father had looked affected upon hearing the story.

So many people, so many lives affected this deeply by a mere secret…

Whatever it was, the revelation would never remain just that.

Kakashi feared to think what the mass would do once the beans were spilled.

Out of the blue, a young, shivery voice he'd never heard before spoke.

"Um, since we're talking about missing persons and all… Has it occurred to any of you that Iruka-senpai should be found, too? I mean, hasn't he been missing for a while now? And wasn't he, like… Didn't Hokage-sama regard him a brother?"

Huh.

Iruka… Sent off on a mission ages ago, never come back… On a mission. That one, an average chuunin no less, a mission on his own… Pondered the matter over they had, but with no signs of him and with Naruto's claims of corresponding with him on weekly basis, they couldn't even denounce him a Konoha nin.

Nothing to be done.

"Another matter related," spoke Kakashi. He nodded in the young man's direction. "You're right, Naruto and Iruka did regard each other as brothers… You weren't here then, but shortly after Iruka disappeared from the face of the earth, we reached the logical conclusion of Naruto removing him as a liability to him, possibly on Sasuke's request as I still can't imagine Naruto willingly and purposefully severing his bond with Iruka."

"Indeed," spoke another unfamiliar face, a freshly recruited ANBU working directly under Naruto. "It's highly likely Uchiha-san would have done that, he appears highly resentful of any obstacle in his way. I know Hokage-sama and Iruka-san were close, particularly so, so this theory would make sense."

Kakashi listened just idly to the consequent conversion during which tons of guesses at the truth were made, none even remotely close to the truth, before the conversation died and silence welcomed them all. After a while, he coughed, getting everyone's attention and – well, they were hoping for more from the proclaimed genius, but none of that for now, unfortunately.

"Seeing as we've all agreed the information shared to be of high importance, I say it's time then they we let the rookie nine in. After all, haven't we spent enough time isolating them from us simply because of their bonds with Naruto?"

A stupid thing, too, but he'd been greatly outnumbered when arguing the stupidity of that decision, resulting in the rookie nine never having the faintest idea about this.

No matter.

Even if the current gathering had been watching closely for years, in a few days the rookie nine had found out more than they had in the years. To Kakashi, that clearly showed their value.

Still, folks were hesitating a tad too much for his liking.

And so, Kakashi pressed on. "They will not be compromised. Our meetings will not be compromised. Tenten and Lee know Neji better than anyone else. If there's anyone who could find Neji, then it's them. Chouji's presence here is of essence to us. His bond to Shikamaru is our strong point now as he knows Shikamaru inside out. I believe it'd make sense that Shikamaru had left behind many more clues than we're currently aware of. And there's the possibility of Chouji being the key to solving them all."

Someone laughed. "If you're going to address the individual worth of each, I say you don't stop at the Akimichi boy."

"If you believe the value to lay in one, I say your place is not here," said Kakashi back, ignoring the man's bewildered look and the general deep murmur going through the crowd. "I gave you examples. However you interpret them, that's up to you. I was trying to remind you of why we'd first gathered years ago and why he'd not allowed them to join us; idiotically, we'd believed them to disrupt our ranks and not approach the problem objectively as was imperative to us, but their closeness to Naruto and Sasuke best not be undermined, lest we're to face a fate similar to the one of theirs just weeks prior to this meeting; blindness. We need them precisely because of their bond, precisely because of how intricately they've been involved in the matter since the very beginning even without their utmost knowledge. And if you think about it… This avalanche started, if I recall correctly, about three weeks when Sakura finally realized there was something amiss… Like a disease, it spread and sparked a chain of events…"

He trailed off to take a breath, for talking this much was a hindrance to breathing, but no-one dared take advantage of it, letting Kakashi, for all he cared, finish his thoughts.

"Sasuke's hold on Naruto tightened because other than stalk Naruto, he also spies on everyone else, so he knew they were waking up from the stupor, knew what was happening… His distress, the direct result of that, caused Naruto to become more reclusive and seek Gaara's presence sooner than planned, hence him writing him a letter and requesting to hold the dialogues in a week rather than a month. And the dialogues that came too soon, bringing along the only other person alive that's capable of understanding Naruto's feelings, and also a threat to Sasuke. Hence him attacking the Kazekage, hence the little show Tsunade-sama told us about. This chain reaction had shocked us all, but we must see it now… It all coincides… The chain reaction that eventually forced even Shikamaru to come out of his hiding and share this portion of truth with us… The truth we understand way better than anyone else, that the end is not merely nigh, but already standing behind our front door, only one step and a thin wooden wall separating it from us."

No more need to talk.

No more speaking.

Not on his part, anyway.

The gathering understood. It hated to be reprimanded for ignorance, hated to be reminded of truth, but he'd done the good thing. Really, no more games…

Kakashi looked to Yamato be his side, exchanging a brief, knowing look, before Yamato turned on his heels and stalked off to fetch Sakura and the lot.

In silence they waited.

Kakashi found himself zoning out, thinking back to the times when he'd read his beloved book in privacy occasionally only to be disturbed by the exuberant Naruto jumping to and fro about this and that, joyful as ever and filling the otherwise plain day with life.

_Hah… I miss those times…_

The lot arrived.

Adults were interesting beings; as foolishly drunk on their supposed maturity as they could be, at times they acted the appropriate age and knowledge level, like now; instead of stupidly asking about what was going on and looking indignant or perturbed, the proclaimed rookie nine took their places right opposite Kakashi, next to Kurenai smiling softly at them, knowing all questions would be answered, all expectations met, all perfectly explained.

And it was Tsunade who spoke this time, assuming the role of a leader that suited her the best out of everyone present, and none dared oppose her or claim the right of speech, but not out of fear of her, but respect – and the reality of her really being a fearsome and strong woman.

She made her way to the center of the room and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"This is not the time to be explaining trivial matters so refer to Kakashi and Kurenai, please, with questions about this particular gathering after it's over. But you do deserve to know what we've found out in the past years… To sum it up, nothing much. We know that once a week, Sasuke spends the night in his old home in the Uchiha district and that otherwise he has a room next to Naruto's in his private quarters. We also know, even if ANBU-san will never confirm it directly, that Sasuke usually disregards that room and stays directly with Naruto. We know that essentially they are together twenty-four-seven, that Naruto never spends more than two hours in the company of anyone but Sasuke and that Sasuke never speaks to anyone at all, the only exception to that rule being that one day in week where both are left alone for about twelve hours. We know that in the past two weeks, there have been numerous assassination attempts on Naruto's life and that one such group was dispatched even the last night. Taken care of, naturally," she added, noting their distressed looks.

But didn't linger on them for too long.

"We're now sure there's someone controlling them and they are under a jutsu that renders them incapable of disobeying commands. It makes them puppets that do not show emotion, do not react to pain and have enough power to cease some disarray. We're also sure they don't really know what they're doing. They appear to be… monitored, put under full control so all coherent thought is deleted from their minds, you could say, making them very resilient against any mental attacks and prone to attacking anything or anyone that moves, as proven by our past investigation. We do not know where their base is and have been unable to track them down as there is no actual pattern to when their appear, given on some nights they don't come even if the defenses are low, and on some they do. Disorganized, maybe. Shikamaru suspected the last time we met that they were sent to distract us, decoys, but so far we have been unable to identify what should we be distracted from. The only thing that comes to our mind is Naruto and protecting him, but he is well protected, relatively… Hm. And if they are just distractions, then we wonder who in their right mind would sacrifice their lives this easily… We are also certain…"

There she paused.

Kakashi knew what was going to come next. In a way, he didn't want to stand around and see their reactions. In a way, he had no other choice.

"That the jutsu in question is, in fact, an ocular jutsu, and that their leader is actually among our ranks. In fact, we are certain they're being controlled from within our village and that the perpetrator is here even now, positioned very close to Naruto, close enough to know of his schedule, know when the guards shift, know when… Know all inside-out. It is also easily estimated thus, that the ocular jutsu, the only one so far capable of putting someone under that strong of a mind-controlling jutsu, is-,"-someone took in a sharp intake of breath, someone swallowed hard, someone choked on their breath, someone, by all standards, just died a little inside,-"-Sharin-"

"_No." _Sakura gritted her teeth. "Sasuke would never betray Naruto. He'd never put Naruto's life in danger."

Tsunade looked like she'd been waiting for that answer; she leveled Sakura a cool, hard stare and lowered her voice to an unpleasant, low tone. "Can you for certain make such a claim, even knowing all this?"

For once, Sakura fought the logic. "Can you for certain claim he'd betray Naruto, knowing Sasuke desperately needs him so?"

"We can't know if that's true."

"Regardless," she protested. "Are you making these claims based on actual evidence or just making the easiest and most convenient available conclusion there is? Did you even think for a moment that Sasuke betraying Naruto would make as much sense as Naruto releasing the Kyuubi come tomorrow and wiping Konoha out?"

Tsunade sighed, and subsequently pursed her lips into a thin line. "True enough; the solution is, perhaps, the most convenient one, as an ocular jutsu being the cause was what came to our minds as first. Naturally, there are other possibilities, but they're all essentially the same, revolving basically around a strong ninjutsu and a ninja powerful enough to use it for such warped purposes. But the other part you can't simply deny, Sakura. No-one can. Because it's also convenient how the assailants attack only the posts now properly secured, how the guards happen to be changing shifts just then, how, in many cases, no-one is really there and how those details are known only to a few people; Shikamaru, who makes the changes, Naruto, who approves of them, a few other jounin who've been cooperating with Shikamaru on the issue for a while now, including myself and, of course Sasuke. I know that Shikamaru won't budge at all, he still told us one thing; Naruto tells Sasuke everything. _Everything. _And what he doesn't tell Sasuke, Sasuke finds out himself. Sasuke knows our village inside out. So yes… Maybe it's a convenient accusation on our side and I do admit it wouldn't make that much sense, given how mad protective Sasuke is over Naruto, but do we even know his reasons? We don't and until we do, he can't for sure claim innocence and can't disregard him as a suspect… As the only suspect we have so far."

No-one objected.

Yet Kakashi knew, despite the harshness of her words, that out everyone present, Tsunade yearned the most for Sasuke's innocence – because then her beloved _otouto_ would be spared the pain of betrayal.

Tsunade's mask cracked, showing the fatigue beneath. "Sakura… There's more… Of course, it doesn't have to be Sasuke… But we need to consider that as a possibility. No-one will budge; Sasuke, Naruto and Shikamaru are the only people who know the truth and Shikamaru couldn't tell us even if he wanted, given the seal. Speaking to Sasuke would be useless and these days Sasuke won't leave Naruto's side, so… At the moment, we can only hope to find Neji and hope that whatever he knows he will share."

"Tsunade-sama." A man on the far end of the room spoke and Tsunade's gaze hardened.

"The most stressing news of the evening, however, are that they're been fewer attacks than before, as if the mastermind behind the attacks was no longer interested in keeping us distracted. Our analysts suspect the attacks are to stop altogether sometime next week with the way they have been paced as of lately, meaning that… Shikamaru's concerns are well-placed. The end is nigh."

The end of the attacks. And after them, what came… Maybe they'd strengthen, enforce, return with more man-power and attack vigilantly their borders, truly intent now upon taking Naruto's life, yet with how little care and thought had been put in them, there was no doubt the analysts were right; the end was nigh.

Kakashi wasn't sure he wanted to know what would come next, but he knew they had to find out _before_ reaching the point of no-return.

Before it was too late…

No longer did any of the newcomers raise a protest afterwards, leaving the gathering to proceed as usually, and only many long minutes later, just as the people had immersed themselves in the guesses of what the end really was and what did it point to, did Ino tiptoe towards him, standing up on her toes, prompting Kakashi to lean closer as in a rueful, conceding tone, she said: "You got the help of a few reliable people, eh? _A few my ass_."

And despite the gravity of the situation – and the talks of pointed fingers and condemnation in the background – Kakashi couldn't help but laugh.

"What can I say, the clique sort of expanded overnight."

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

_Once upon a time, NUMBER 16 had had an identity, but that was before he arrived and enslaved him in these chains of make-believe and some twisted plans._

_He arrived and put him under that jutsu, showing him a world barren that was 16's mind, stealing all the trees, flowers, all the clouds above away, stealing the light and the air and the sound, until with his mind this emptied of all contents, 16 could only obey his appointed master's commands. _

_He was just a number now. Sixteen. With no recollection of his past life, of his bright future, only knowing one fact; once upon a time, he'd had an identity. His own. But like everyone else he had nothing now, stripped off his privileges and dignity, dressed in dark, uncomfortable clothing, fed pills that intensified his powers, enhanced his senses, and left him with excruciating cramps in his stomach as for months it'd not seen any food at all, barely coming in touch with water._

_But there was another thing he knew, from his master's resentful talking._

_That apparently, once upon a time, he and the other numbers had been scum. Thieves and murderers, the kinds of people, he said, wouldn't be missed in this peaceful world._

_And NUMBER 16 have no other choice but to listen, incapable of expressing comprehension or showing serenity because wasn't that what he was supposed to be feeling? Knowing that at last he'd been given a true purpose in life, which was to serve his master…_

_But NUMBER 16 did not feel a thing._

_No pain._

_No love._

_No hate._

_No grief or petulance. _

_He might as well have been a shell, or an empty box on a shelf, waiting for the moment someone filled him._

_Master did that, filled him with the purpose; to kill._

_And 16 did not understand the implications of that order, how killing meant he was going back to being scum and how only his lack of mind prevented him from figuring out the contradiction._

_Only one day, while standing guard and waiting patiently for his master to return, did he feel._

_Because in stupidity, in the master's forgetfulness and consequent lack of order to take the special pills, 16 had not felt the need to take them at all, until a few days later, the night of his coming of age – when he was to go and rekindle his destiny, whatever the word meant – he awoke._

_And when given that one simple order, NUMBER 16 did not immediately obey._

_Because he felt._

"_Kill Uzumaki Naruto, understood," he replied in a voice devoid of emotion, turning around-suddenly stopping, a twitch going through his body, a shudder down his spine, a recognition of sorts in his eyes, before he said it-and he said it as he did not understand at all what he was he saying and that he had, in fact, for those few pathetic seconds, freed himself from the man's firm hold – and been free. "Killing that nasty Kyuubi brat, eh? Say, he's the Hokage now. How strange they'd pick a monster to do that job. Might as well let it be and let 'em do the job, no? Kill their own monster."_

_He didn't feel pain._

_He only felt the blade enter his body, felt it impact, first, brush past the katana strapped to his back, felt it enter his body, pushing past the tissue and lodging itself next to his left kidney._

_Then it was removed and – NUMBER 16 did not feel – but he let out that gasp._

_Then master's voice, rippling with hate, echoed around. "I do not tolerate disobedience."_

_When NUMBER 16 left the base, he still did not feel a thing._

_When he fought, he still did not feel a thing._

_When hit numerous times, still nothing._

_And when that cool, sharp blade caressed his throat with lethal grace-_

_-he felt._

_For the first time in months ever since losing his identity, NUMBER 16, felt._

_He felt pain. And fear. For a few, short seconds. He acknowledged and felt, aware of all, with memories rushing back to him at once. _

_And he hoped to the beings above, if they ever existed, that they'd find out._

_What the foul man was doing to their Hokage behind their backs._

_Before it was too late. _

_And then NUMBER 16 died._

_But he died with his identity fully restored._

_Died a free man once more. _

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

"So, here's the deal… Six days since Neji's disappeared. Awesome. Tenten and Lee haven't shown in two, looking for him outside Konoha while the Hyuugas are trying to keep their marbles and not, you know, _slaughter everyone in a mad search for Neji_. The whole pillage and plunder deal kind of thing. Not saying it wouldn't be fun, you know? Just imagine both branches and their billowing clothes and white eyes with those veins bulging around them and-sort of awesome. Just, don't fancy dying, so, props to them for not losing it, okay?"

Sakura snickered. "Pregnancy's made you very talkative, Ino."

"Oh, shut up."

Well, at least some amusement… Sakura made a grimace and walked.

Ino was wrong about one thing; not two, but almost three days had passed since Lee and Tenten had run to find Neji. Oddly enough, right before leaving they'd reported to Naruto, requesting, quite boldly, to go searching for their lost teammate, and apparently Naruto had looked positively shocked about Neji's disappearance, before ushered to shut up by one warning look from Sasuke and permitting them to go. And take as much time off as necessary.

Maybe he knew they wouldn't be coming back? … Because he'd buried Neji's body somewhere and-okay, no. That stupid paranoid jounin from a few nights back had infected her with his talks of impossible conspiracies and flying objects or whatever.

Sakura shook it off and focused on other matters.

But whatever she did, her mind, after a few moments of pregnant silence, waddled back to Naruto. And Sasuke.

"Sasuke… could you be really… trying to kill Naruto?"

Out loud though she'd spoken, Ino said not a word, merely accompanying her and pretending to be basking in the last sunlight of the day.

Sakura truly appreciated the woman at times like this.

Knowing she'd not be interrupted, knowing she could talk relatively freely of her utmost fears, she relaxed and launched into the rant of why and what, of ifs and buts, of pity and regret. Of sense and sensibility.

A girl from Sunagakure had left her a small note at the outpost at the gate while passing by, a girl Sakura had met on a mission to Sand two years ago and had befriended with as much ease as if a Naruto-possessed-clone, and only because the guards knew of her exploits with the girl did they pretend to be a post office for a few hours, knowing she'd come get it as soon as possible and pick up the words of love written in a remarkably flower-like style.

Sweet of them… But transparent. They'd been there too. Been there, seen her despair… Huh… She smiled to herself and looked towards the gate and the two guards in a small, inconspicuous shack nearby, thinking them to be tapping their fingers impatiently against the wooden table as they awaited her arrival, but once more she dismissed the stray thoughts, fully aware of how easily disrupted from their usual pattern her thoughts were these days.

No progress, no nothing, no… no news and Neji was gone and-how come she'd never asked about Iruka? Had someone, too, placed them under a jutsu as in to forbid them from ever acknowledging Iruka-sensei's disappearance? And why, why in the… holy… Why would Naruto let him _go_?

Suppressing the irritable sigh from entering the surrounding air, she pressed on, quickening her pace and almost marching to the outpost, her pink hair dimmed in color following in plight. Ino cursed under her breath before catching up to her and shooting her a few annoyed looks which Sakura opted to ignore as she finally reached the place.

The chuunin guarding it smiled slyly and, head propped on the hand, handed her the letter. "Here you go, Sakura-san. Say, Sakura-san… How about a date?"

Sakura took the letter and nodded. "Sure. Thank you."

The chuunin and his companion laughed. "See? I told you she was out of it."

Ino smiled sweetly. "Aw, not that out of it, you know? Just a bit, hm, preoccupied? She'll get it in a few."

Sakura licked her lower lip-

Wait.

… Oh no.

Oh, no. You _don't._

A saccharine smile was shot in the chuunin's direction. "Date? Aw, thank you. Such a wonderful idea. I am feeling rather hungry, now that you mention it, so how about we go now? You're paying, right? Oh, Ino! That reminds me~, how about our date, hm? We _so_ need to go out and catch up and all that. Like, all of us. One big date. All seven of us. Including Chouji."

The Chuunin lifted his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, hey, chill, I was just kidding. Besides, I'm sort of glad you're not as violent as usually, otherwise I'd have already been-"

And then he was staring at his own round bottom, slammed against the wall, upside down with the ankles comically by his head, the eyes wide, absent, probably trying to remember when exactly he'd been hit.

Sakura's smile widened, her fist still erected in the air, a vein throbbing threateningly on her temple. "Ha-ha. You're _so_ funny, I actually forgot to laugh, I was so mesmerized by your amazing sense for humor. Oh, do excuse me, I need to go compose myself and laugh elsewhere because I'll be going in hysterics. Ha-ha-ha. Get it? Get it?"

The other chuunin laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, he gets it, alright, just give him a few because _he_ really does need to compose himself."

Sakura's hand fell by her side and she glared nastily at both men in turns, before turning on her heels and turning to Ino-whose expression could have been described only as deadpan.

Sakura stared. "What? He deserved it." Nose high up in the air, she strutted a bit further from the crime scene, Ino stepping after her only after releasing the mandatory sigh of resignation.

There, not that far away from the gate, Sakura opened her letter and started reading. The girl was a coquettish, vivacious one, as obvious from how she formulated all her sentences whether those written or spoken, but the change was a good one in comparison to the gloomy land of Konoha she'd realized she was living in just weeks ago.

And, really… The letter… She groaned.

Ino smiled apologetically. "Sakura, don't let the man's words get to you."

"Ah… I was so looking forward to the letter, too, but now I can't focus. It is true that I am losing my steam… Ah." Another groan accompanied the previous one and disregarding her surroundings, placated by circumstances, Sakura leaned against the great brick wall circling their beloved village and tried really, really hard not to slide down it and curl into a fatal position.

"Sakura… It's going to be alright," cooed Ino, her hand comfortably resting upon Sakura's shoulder.

"Yes, I know… I know… I… I do… I wish Neji came back. And Tenten. And Lee. And… I wish Naruto came back. And Sasuke. And Naruto and Sasuke… And… And just team seven. I… I want team seven back… I want them back…"

The ground below, such a sad, empty sight.

And an adult woman whining. Must have looked pathetic even to Ino but Sakura couldn't snap out of it within moments, suspecting doing so would only postpone the inevitable and at least momentarily caving into the desire to throw a hissy fit would sate most urges to cry and die.

Yes, yes… This was safe. And good.

And good.

She lifted her gaze and stared off into distance.

Off-handed, the comment to follow. "It's turning dark. The night's coming."

"Huh… A harbinger of doom, eh?" Ino leaned against the wall right next to her. Their sides brushed, the warmth of them all just Ino, because right now Sakura considered herself a cold, unfeeling being incapable of showing the gratitude she truly felt, the relief that Ino was there, for her, and the horror – that there was no solution.

There never would be a solution.

And if they were right – and she prayed to gods they weren't – Naruto's heart would shatter in pieces.

If they were right about the betrayal, then Naruto… Naruto would…

He'd die.

She stared off into the distance, seeing only the outlines of the trees having already given into the blanket of night to lay them to sleep.

How she envied them. So… So much. So much.

_It __**hurt.**_

"A foreshadowing," add Ino after a while, maybe sensing her thoughts, but speaking no more after that, both of them lapsing into comfortable silence occasionally interrupted only by the soft cussing coming from the outpost as the chuunin came back to his senses and, ashamed, attempted to put the show of absolute lack of power behind him.

And Sakura just stared.

Up ahead, the forests were fast asleep. Who cared that at least one additional hour before the arrival of the moon? Who cared at all. Such trivial matters. And to think she actually wanted to invest time on those.

In – did the trees sleep?

Did the animals tuck each other to beds?

Did the grass tickle them under their feet?

Did the fur feel soft on touch for them?

Did they understand how much she envied them?

In the distance, the shadows loomed.

And one neared.

_Huh._

She watched it with absent-minded interest, dispassionate still, as it neared them, not even caring it couldn't have been a tree as trees weren't shaped like humans and definitely did not take such long and heavy strides like humans did.

Barely she saw them at all, the two shapes moving side by side – running, in fact, their strangely synched breathing reaching ever her ears, the panting and heaving – all that obvious sighs of exhaustion-

Oh, maybe they were injured?

However terrible the thought, it soothed her to know she could take her mind of the recent findings, because work was good and keeping her hands busy was beautiful. Liberating, in fact.

A very de-stressing thing to do.

So she made that one step in their direction, maybe hoping to meet them mid-way and – grotesque, no doubt, the macabre of her thoughts as she prayed for heavy injuries, life-threatening ones, the gruesome and disgusting kind – they neared her again, their steps thundering (bad ninja, sure, because a good ninja doesn't let others become aware of their presence) about viciously, snapping at her conscious mind, bringing forth the worry-

-sparking something, too, and she saw them clearer now, the outlines of their figures, the clothing-the-everything-recognized it-

-and their voices-

"_Sakura._"

She tripped over her feet, fell forward-caught in time by-"Iruka-sensei. Neji. I-"-tears in her eyes-no. Fully aware now.

Yes, yes. So clear. The world.

Ugh, this clarity.

Worse than oblivion, worse than the act of taking one's life. Worse than-oh my god.

She shook. "_Iruka-sensei. Iruka-sensei! Iruka-sensei. You're here you're herehere-Iruka-sensei_." Such a child. At twenty-two burying her face in his chest and weeping.

Weeping. Crying. Tear-stained.

And for weeks – lie. A fat lie.

"Sakura… I'm here, don't worry. It's okay. It'll be alright."

For YEARS holding back, ignoring the subconscious mind telling her through dreams and simple mistakes of everyday life, such as repeatedly getting distracted by the sight of couples holding hands and cutting herself on paper, or waking up covered in cold sweat, or ignorant to the word love and bond because they cut deeply, but she saw him and he was the beacon of light she hadn't been aware of until now and he was that everything she could and would and wanted to and should should should should HAD TO-

Rely on.

Now.

Now… More than ever before.

Such a beautiful world it was now.

So simple and pure.

And Iruka-sensei holding her.

And crying. Liberated. At once.

"PLEASE!" She shoved him back, hands clasped around his shoulders, holding onto him firmly, strands of hair in messy ways stroking all of her face, wet from the tears, from the despair embodied. 'PLEASE! Please… save him… Please, save Naruto!"

Please…

Iruka's hand rested on the mop of her hair. "Don't worry, Sakura… I am back… To set things right."

"We are back," announced Neji and-such a compassionate man, no? For, too, placing that single hand of support, all she ever wanted, on her hand, intertwining their fingers and allowing her to relish in the timely warmth of his touch. "We know the truth. The entire truth. And we really are here to do just that."

"Set things right," echoed Ino.

Sakura chanted the words in her mind.

Vigorously, she nodded.

"Then do it."

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

"_It's a simple deal, really… What do you say, Naruto?"_

"… _Ah… Fine, Sasuke. Let's do it."_

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

Something hurt in his chest.

Neji knew. It was only a matter of time before everybody else found out, that much he knew.

But he knew not how he'd react to it, whatever he'd do once they all knocked on his front door and requested the explanation they undeservedly had been denied all this time.

Suddenly, Naruto knew he'd never exactly thought it through, never paid the thought enough heed to sacrifice a few moments of his time with Sasuke to reflect on the past with future combined, never known for a second that with the arrival of truth, he'd be rendered useless, sent back in time to relive the first years of his life when – lone and sole – he'd known nothing at all.

Only the hatred of the villagers.

But his friends wouldn't hate him for that, never for-for...

The pen in his hand broke in two uneven halves – stunned, he let it fall from his fingers and fall onto the ground.

Friends.

At twelve, finally he'd learned the meaning of those words, yet hadn't he discarded their sacred meaning just four years later? Ignored the friends of his, left their pious belief in his goodness to remain just that – a belief separated from truth by a great schism built between.

What exactly gave him the right to assume that still they were friends? Maybe their persistent seeking of truth as per claims of both Sasuke and Shikamaru, maybe because he'd witnessed their drive himself and seen the fire burn in their eyes, but he'd told them off, hadn't he? Said to wait, said that all in due time whilst thinking to himself the whole time that he didn't want them knowing.

So what right he had? To call them friends. To assume they'd care.

To assume that after all was over and the secret out in the open, they'd remain there, knowing he'd been a ruthless and cold bastard to them for years in row, not once caring to look over his shoulder to check if still they were following, simply taking it for granted. Simply telling himself the entire time – they'd wait and see. And be there.

So much delusion.

Such mad folly. Such demented, illogical thinking.

"Naruto, you need to stop sulking, you've been at it for hours. Let me in." An impatient knocking on his door.

He gritted his teeth.

Hate him, would they? Farfetched, the very idea, but far too possible to soothe his irrational, thoughts, to keep him sane.

But he didn't need them so that was alright, right, because he had Sasuke and haha oh gods that was so freaking awesome and funny and he totally didn't need anyone else but him no other friends no people just Sasuke and he'd be happy and all that and villagers boo and and _andandand_-

"NARUTO."

The desk broke – splintered.

Pieces of wood flying all around them.

A primal growl filtered in the room.

The door was kicked in. The hero rushed in. Ha-ha. How romantic of him, that knight in the armor on the horse with all that galloping and all that.

_Ha-ha._

That was so hysterical.

So humorous!

Oh, that keen sense of humor! That glamour! Oh, the beauty of it!

"… Naruto… What the…"

Naruto whooped and whipped around, a Cheshire smile on his face. "Sasuke, I broke my pen~!"

Sasuke's eyes widened – behind him ANBU appeared but he ushered them away with a single motion of his hand-oh!

Naruto latched onto Sasuke, hands gripping his shirt. "Sasuke! You should become the Hokage~! Ne? Do it for me? Well, I mean, whatever, right? They listen to you anyway."

Tee-hee.

"What the… hell are you on? What's wrong with you?"

"Oh-nono! Don't change the topic. Be the Hokage?"

Sasuke gave him a frown. Boo! "No." Double boo!

Naruto pouted. "Why not?"

"Because-_you're bleeding, for god's sake."_

Naruto berated him with that finger erected in the air moving side to side. "Nuh-uh, Sasuke, that's not a reason, not at all."

Sasuke slapped the hand away-_why?_- and grabbed Naruto by the shoulders.

"_You're bleeding from your chest."_

"What?"

"How come you don't-_shit."_

Naruto blinked, flailing a bit as Sasuke's hand curled around his collar and dragged him to the couch where unceremoniously he landed and Sasuke sat on top of him, straddling him-it felt so very strange, made Naruto's head spin and-now that he thought about it, there was a dull ache in his chest.

Sasuke's fingers ghosted over his sides before pushing his clothing aside, untying and unfastening that seemingly simple yet actually complex layer of clothing that was the traditional Hokage robe.

His chest exposed, Sasuke drew in a sharp intake of breath and cursed loudly.

"It's bleeding. Bleeding."

Naruto smiled. "Is it?" What was?

He looked down, noting the small gaping wound right above the heart, the reddened circle much wider in diameter around it, inflamed and turning darker, the tissue eventually bursting open, blood pouring from it in a ticklish trickle of something warm cascading down his body.

Now that he thought about it, it did hurt.

Quite a lot, in fact. Quite… Tremendously, in fact. But how was-

Clarity.

"Naruto, you fool. What are you doing?"

Sasuke's eyes were-hysterical. And. Horrified. Deeply. It was carved there. In his wide, dark eyes. Everywhere, prodding at Naruto's mind, prompting him to snap out of it-to cease the insanity, to stop it to-

-see the light.

Clarity.

Clar-

He gasped.

Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. No. NoNO.

_NO!_

Sasuke's hand clamped around his mouth just as the blood-curling scream left his lips.

His insides were boiling. Muscles retracting. Excruciating. Body convulsing. All originating from his chest. Sending waves of pain embodied throughout his entire body.

Above him, Sasuke panicked. Laid down on him and Naruto dimly realized he couldn't have been trashing, not with the body firmly pressed against his, not with the other hand holding him down, but-

Sasuke whispering in his ear. "They didn't betray you. You love them. They love you. _Naruto._ Think about it. THINK." Realize it.

Myriads of flashes, myriads of them cursing him to damnation eternal, showing him sceneries of the past – hated and ignored, isolated with none to keep him company-oh god they did not deserve him but to die they did but to-

"NARUTO!"

-but to-to-

"Do you want to die? Naruto… No. No… Stop it. Stop thinking about it. Stop-"

Naruto looked at him.

His beautiful, perfect, Sasuke.

And his blue eyes said – I can't.

Sasuke cried out something and the hand from his mouth was removed-replaced by something else. Warm. Very warm.

Naruto shut his eyes.

Sasuke's other hand released him.

That much trust… Did he feel he'd not trash then, not fight it? The breaking. Of that stupid seal. And how it hurt.

Hurt.

But the trust… Explicit… Of course, expected no less from his Sasuke.

Only he had this much in him… No-one else.

Naruto rested.

A few hours later, drenched in cold sweat, covered in own blood – with Kyuubi's chakra already producing enough to replace the one lost – and with every cell inside his body aching, the aching reduced to numbness, the numbness making the body cease its shivering.

Sasuke pulled away.

The weight disappeared, a shuddering breath was taken and Naruto took in a sharp intake of breath that hit his lungs like blizzard. Tiredly, the eyes opened and-"Did you… just…?"

Sasuke scoffed. "Figures you'd think of that when you almost just died." A pause. "_What were you thinking?_ Fool. You know the conditions. You set them, too, remember? You know what happens if you don't keep your end of the bargain."

"I…" Yeah. Death. Poetic. He gulped. "Neji knows."

"Yes, he does. And it means nothing. They will find out. That's all there is to it."

"… Sasuke, I don't want them knowing."

"… Hah." He laughed. "It's too late for that now. And it doesn't matter. Whether they know or not, it's not that big of a secret anyway. And maybe it's for the best."

"How?"

Once more, Naruto felt Sasuke's weight on top of him – the warning as his heart skipped a beat, surely to tell him one such thought and he'd die, right? … _Right?_ – and the man's breath touched his face.

"Finally they will understand us. Don't you want that? Understanding, what you always strived for. At last they will understand you. Us. _Naruto._" Sasuke's hand cradled Naruto's, then placed it against own cheek. "Why we need each other, why they can't separate us… Why this is the way it's meant to be. Finally. It's what we've wanted for a while."

Naruto's eyes lazily found Sasuke's. "Did we really? Huh…" Transient, his smile. "Never knew you yearned for that too."

"You did. You just never looked."

"… Yeah. You're right. I should get back to work…"

"Idiot. No. Take a rest for a few days. They won't notice."

"They will, Sasuke, they'll make the connection."

"So?" Sasuke's voice turned raspy and husky. Naruto had to avert his eyes.

"Don't give me that so. I need to do it."

"And you need to do it looking like death had washed over? A great idea. Reckon they'll accuse me of torturing you when no-one's looking, right? No, thanks. You need rest. For a few days at least."

Naruto didn't object. Not any longer.

Not because he agreed for a change with the rationalized objection to his stubborn nature, but because he'd be with Sasuke – his Sasuke. As if they didn't already spend all the time together.

But that was a petty detail. Naruto didn't care.

As long as Sasuke was there, he was happy. Would be.

Happy.

"Alright… Fine… Fine…"

Fine, Sasuke.

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, but the story idea is mine alone.

**A/N:** So far, I've received three anonymous reviews, which is sad because as they are anonymous, I can't reply to them :\ It's what I usually do, you know? But I decided to change that : ) Reply to them though I can't, I can still thank you guys and from now on, I will express gratitude in each and every following chapter.

So, to you anonymous reviewers, to you signed reviewers**, thank you very much** for sparing a few moments of your time to write a review. It means a lot to me, it's what keeps me going and it's what ensures the story's survival. Please, to you reading this, do review. You are welcome to give me a critique, argue with me about the plot, the progress and development, you're welcome to give me questions and express your opinions freely. As a proclaimed grown-up, for my ID surely does claim such an obscene atrocity, I can handle all. : )

Now, as for this chapter…

It's long. I actually cut it short, removed the last 4 000 words; they will appear in chapter seven. I did it because I realized I couldn't stop at that part and would need to whip out at least 3 000 more words to keep the consistency and flow of the story and not cut it mid-thought, and I didn't quite fancy the idea of a 20 000-word-long chapter, so you'll have to excuse me, I suppose. :\

Anyway. Lots of flashbacks. And things really did get complicated? In the teaser for this chapter, I mentioned an appearance of a weapon… Know who the weapon is? Yup, Iruka. Oh, boy… Has anyone of you ever wondered when that guy would make an appearance? I mean, come on… Iruka needs to be present in a Naruto fanfic ; ) That's a given he'd be there to watch over Naruto. And, oh boy, his appearance sure will result in many interesting scenarios…

And in the case of this chapter, the flashbacks weren't chronological, well… The last wasn't. The last scene was actually a flashback, a scene that took place shortly after Neji left, I just refused to place it in chronological order D: I thought it'd be best as the last scene. And not _italized_, since I wanted it to look… Fresh, not to emphasize the fact it happened in the past. You know? Anyhow… Cherry on top, anyone? So, any idea what happened to Naruto? I know, I do… Can you figure it out? No. Derp :B

Now, I truly do pity Sakura. See, I quite like her as a character as in Part II she finally got useful and grew a backbone – and a remarkably bold, vivacious personality which I love. But I torture her so… Ah, she really does handle it the hardest :\ Well, don't worry, nothing's as bad as meets the eye~! And in Soul II, well… Who says she'll spend it gripped by this heinous, repulsive fright? Not me. Uh-huh… c:

And see? Neji didn't die. Yay! Damn, the Hyuuga wouldn't go down easily, let me tell you that ; )

And I wrote this chapter in one day. Oh, boy xD That's 17 000 words in one day. Oh, boy, I am mental.

Also, did you recognize one very concrete scene? It appeared in chapter two, the very first scene depicted, but elaborated on now, added and completed at last, so finally you know how the fight had gone and, even, why exactly Sasuke had told Naruto he hated him… And you also know that whatever happened, happened in Naruto's mind. Literally.

And that in next chapter, you might just find out the truth.

Forgive any spelling/grammar mistakes. I'm so tired. x_x

_In next chapter, the end starts. _

**Rating:** PG-13 for themes, blood, swearwords (most of which have yet to make an appearance).

**Summary:** At twenty two, Naruto has achieved all; a Hokage at last, a man respected and loved, he rules his nation with compassion and understanding, bringing together lost families and friends, and disposing of those that dare oppose his peace. And Sasuke ever-so-faithfully stands by his side, an unchanging status for almost six years, and after these six years, people, villagers, their teachers and friends finally start to ask: "What is happening between Naruto and Sasuke?"

**Setting:** Six years after the Fourth Ninja War, so all ages have been changed accordingly. Naruto is the Hokage, but how exactly he achieved the status will be revealed step-by-step, along with many other details related to the "rookie nine" and all other characters.

**Warning:** There will be no OCs, only, perhaps, some OOCness which I'm partial to as anyone else, so that's excusable. Don't go around calling this yaoi, as Sole isn't yaoi, it merely contains strong _shounen-ai _hints. The purpose of this story is not to indulge anyone's perverse fantasies involving Sasuke and Naruto, but to elaborate further on the complex relationship they share as demonstrated in both manga and anime. With that said, I **love** the pairing, but I'm not promising anything. _Story will contain basic Japanese honorifics._

Thanks for reading. Remember to R&R! x)

If you have any questions, add them in a review or message me personally :)


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter_seven__Re_b**o**rn.

"_NO. You will make him leave, understood? I will not stand that man around you."_

"_Wha-? Sasuke, you're not making any sense at all. Iruka-sensei's never done a thing to you."_

"_I saw you two. Don't think I'm stupid."_

"_What… I… Sasuke, you're acting irrational. So I told him. So?"_

"So_? He knows. He will tell. That mother hen. Do you want that, Naruto? DO YOU? And do you know what they will do? Let me tell you – they will separate us."_

"_They wo-"_

"_They're going to separate us. I will NOT stand for that. NEVER. You either force him to leave, send him on a mission far away for all I care, or I will take care of him."_

"_You will not threaten Iruka-sensei, Sasuke."_

"_And he will not take you away."_

"_He isn't-"_

"_No-one will take you away from me… No-one. Never. Ever. Never… Do it…"_

"_Sasuke…"_

"… _Please."_

"… _I… I… ca-… -n't… I… Fine. I will send Iruka-sensei away. For you."_

"_For me. Only for me…"_

"_Yeah… Only for you, Sasuke, only for you…"_

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

"It was a trap, of course. And it was-a complicated thing. I knew something was wrong, suspected it right away when Naruto started ignoring me. At first, I blamed the elders for it because they'd forced Sasuke on him, made him the caretaker, but then I was forced to change my mind." Iruka-sensei was talking, his voice leveled and relatively calm even despite the severity of his words. Swiftly they all walked, Ino leading them all towards the meeting place; logically they'd agreed to first consult everyone else, share their findings before confronting Naruto, but – really, they were all dying to know what Neji and Iruka had found out yet, apparently, that would take a while, given how the chuunin at the outpost had directed them to rather keep it to themselves so the tale would be distributed with everyone dutifully present. Naturally, a problem at the moment, as Naruto had awakened from his stupor two nights ago and sent most of his capable ninjas on missions; scattered all across the world as they were, only a few remaining would bear witness to the story.

Ino was shaking.

Sakura had calmed down, but Ino couldn't help but keep an eye on her, the other on Iruka, glued on his figure – fearful, maybe, of the possibility of him being whisked away to a land far, far away.

"Naruto was distant, very distant. He wouldn't respond to me. Barely he looked at me. Things got worse when he was made the Hokage. I'd see him watching me with regret, but never did he approach me. A year later, however, that changed. I don't know what exactly made him snap and he looked quite content to me, actually. Sitting on his throne, his dream finally a reality… _Best friend by his side_… I was wrong. He was unhappy. And he came to me, said Sasuke was in the Uchiha district, doing his usual thing of moping about the destruction of his clan or whatever and that we needed to talk. And he told me. _Everything._ I'd never heard someone talk for hours to no end but the story really was a never-ending one. Still is. He told me in great detail all that had happened and how that seemingly innocuous deal they'd made in his mind had spiraled downwards to something completely different. How Sasuke was smothering him, keeping him from everyone, how he didn't know what to do… How-,"-a flinch.

"How he was lost. But how he couldn't leave Sasuke. How he needed him. He told me he couldn't abandon him. Not out of duty. That duty didn't matter. Nothing was duty to him and all was done in good spirits and whole-heartedly, but Sasuke… The name even now leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. It was such a terrible thing he told me, all of it. I didn't know – pity him or hate Sasuke? Or the other way around? For growing so dependent on each other… There is no other way how to put it; Sasuke and Naruto have, in a way, become one. And maybe it's also because of what they did to each other. _Twisted their souls for each other._"

He stopped. The party stopped.

Iruka shook his head abruptly side to side, eyes watery and swollen. "I… Sasuke saw us. Something about changing his mind. I saw them argue. That argument was so… Weird… Heated but also cold. I was fascinated by it, I admit and in hindsight I believe I'd never seen anything so lewdly tantalizing than the two of them having that exchange of… What was it-I don't even… Things got tense afterwards. I remember that time and you should too; there was a time when Naruto refused to meet Killer Bee who'd come to Konoha to escape from his domineering brother. They got into a tiff which was resolved only much later. Naruto… he was so cold to everyone during that time. And then – that, one day, he called me to his office. He was alone there, I recall, but Sasuke was watching. I could feel him. I might not be as powerful as they are, but I can still recognize killing intent. That was when Naruto told me I needed to leave. Leave? Get it? That little bastard telling me to leave and keeping a straight face while his voice cracked and shoulders shook… It hurt him_. Physically_. And I could only stand there and be horrified. To think Sasuke had that much control over him."

"He sent you away," muttered Ino.

He nodded. "Yes, he did. A mission in an uncharted territory that, too, had suffered from the war. There was a lot of work to do and few hands. Always busy, every day. Of course, no ninjas were ever sent there. The mission was a lie. I wasn't meant to help them rebuild their homes, but settle there and forget about Naruto. I didn't. I could never… _He is like a brother to me_."

Embedded in his eyes – fire.

Ino knew Sasuke could defeat Iruka-sensei while blindfolded and with one hand tied behind his back, but that loathing look, the filthy wrath, the agony pent-up in Iruka's eyes could smite Sasuke off the face of the earth.

"I wrote him every once in a while and kept in touch with the surrounding bigger villages… I… Was forced to get used to it. It was a long-term mission and eventually I did help the villagers as much as I could – no choice, really, but it helped me focus… I… For a long, long time, I couldn't believe it… Naruto giving him what he wanted… I thought for a long, long time about it, why Naruto would have yielded… Why."

"Naruto is Sasuke's possession," offered Ino, praying for a no.

"No. No… it's … more difficult than that… You will understand once you know what they did, it's-all connected to it. And their obsession will thrive and flourish for as long as it exists. That…" His lower lip quivered, the brows knitted together. "Huh… I do wonder… So the e-"

"_Iruka_."

Magically and right on time, Kakashi jumped from the rooftop of a residential building, landing just in front of the group and appearing perfectly when he was needed.

Ino felt compelled to throw herself in his arms and suggest adopting her baby just for doing that.

But she didn't. Of course… Not. Well.

Kakashi didn't waste time. "I got a message you two were back. Neji, Iruka – is it true? Do you know?"

Iruka blinked and-a blush tinted his cheeks, astonishing everyone present with its pure quality, before, embarrassed, the man shook it off and smiled sheepishly. "I-as weird as it's going to sound, I'm really glad to see you, Kakashi-san. I mean, a year without all my-_friends._ Hah… But." Quickly a few shakes to compose himself, then back on tracks. "Yes, correct."

"I see." Mingled with relief the anticipation even in Kakashi's voice. "I see… Neji?"

Neji inclined his head to the side. "I'm not as glad to see you."

"… I didn't mean that."

"Oh, didn't you?"

Ino watched, amused; to see Neji joking now was… refreshing.

Neji sighed. "It's about resonance."

Random.

Kakashi gave him a pleading look.

Neji frowned. "Resonance, that's why I couldn't see anything before, because I never activated the Byakugan with both Sasuke and Naruto around. It's visible only when they're standing right next to each other, otherwise not even chakra sensors could notice it. It's… very well done, I must admit, even if unwillingly… But its nature is… I can't put a word to it…"

Kakashi didn't even conceal his worry. "I see… Not sure if anyone told you…" There his eyes lingered a bit too longer on Sakura's muted figure, more of that worry creasing his features and Ino could tell he hoped to comfort her; instead, more worrisome matters called for his attention. Such was life, she reckoned, such the cruelty unintended. "We thought you… Well."

"Dead?"

"Kidnapped in the least."

Neji mustered some amusement for that sentiment. "No."

"So what really happened?"

And to that question, Ino thought determinedly, they'd get an answer now, screw the principle of letting everyone sit about and listen patiently. _Screw that._

Neji's amusement disappeared faster than light. A look of forlorn hope crossed his features. "Nothing that dramatic, to be honest. I was shocked and they realized I knew, but with many witnesses, they couldn't act. I just walked away, in all honesty." Noting their surprised looks, he shrugged, helpless. "I know what you were probably suspecting, but nothing happened. I expected Sasuke to give a chase, but instead I saw him follow Naruto right to the Hokage tower… And afterwards… Actually, the thing you should be interested in is what happened afterwards."

Kakashi humored him, a willing participant in the game. "That being?"

"Shikamaru came to me."

"_You saw."_

_Neji halted in his steps – not quickened steps, he told himself, because he wasn't running, he had nothing at all to be running from, no resonating orbs, no shadows chasing after him, no cold eyes trailing behind and knowing three steps ahead where he'd head next._

_Gut-wrenched – the groan and he forced his torso to angle sidewards, head comically following to allow the eyes to look over the shoulder right on the disapproving face of Shikamaru standing with his hands tucked in the pockets, the posture relaxed, all suggesting this was yet another yawn-inducing occurrence in the advisor's life. _

_That lazy bastard._

_Neji lost it._

_Angrily he whipped his body around, stalking forward and grabbing Shikamaru by the collar, the material fisted and held firmly as he fought no longer the feelings of regress suppressed. _

_They lashed out, just as mad as that scene he'd witnessed._

"_THAT is what you're protecting? That is-"_

"_Hm?"_

"_Right… Right." Neji's eyes tinted unusually dark narrowed. At once he released Shikamaru, stepping back and assuming a position that suggested no show of anger that profound had transpired – even if still his hands would shake. "I forgot, the seal forbids you from even commenting on it. And that is what they were hiding… Sick."_

_Shikamaru gave him a lop-sided grin. "You should go."_

"_Run? Don't be ridiculous, Shikamaru."_

"_You were running just now, why not do it again?"_

_Bastard. Neji's glare rested on him. "I was not running."_

"_Merely taking a bit of a stroll down the village streets then, I'm assuming? Oh, sorry for interrupting." He shrugged. "But I didn't mean that when I told you to go."_

_Neji's body tensed. "What then?"_

_Shikamaru didn't mind him. In fact, Neji was tempted to suggest he really was taking a stroll and had merely chanced upon him by sheer power of coincidence and nothing else, not knowledgeable at all in the matters of politics and deceit, but then he was stopped by the ethereal quality of Shikamaru's steps, because it felt like – Kami-sama himself was descending down upon earth, bearing all knowledge within along, finally answering the question… what is the meaning of life?_

_Wisely, Neji stayed quiet, wisely for otherwise he may have missed the feathery caress of Shikamaru's voice._

"_There's someone you need to find for me. Let's call that person… A key factor in this game. A weapon. Neji, don't you think it appropriate to bring Iruka-sensei back to Konoha?"_

_Painfully, his muscles retracted. "That man is a missing nin, even if he's not been reported as such yet. He disappeared from Konoha a year ago-"_

"_Wrong." Cut off. "He was forced to leave Konoha a year ago. See, the funny thing about this seal is that I can't talk about very _specific_ things. Naruto didn't want to completely seal off my ability to express myself freely, I'm thinking. Not a wise choice, because otherwise, had it been a seal similar to Danzo's technique, I wouldn't be able to speak of this, but that's the beauty of it, I guess." Neji allowed him to smile. Shikamaru wasted a few precious seconds of their time busying himself with a pack of cigarettes and looking for the lighter. Conveniently, it had disappeared, or maybe whilst searching for it an unknown, shadowy, dodgy figure would interrupt and like in movies, such act would disable any further communication, leaving the revelation for the very last minute of the movie. But Shikamaru's cigarette flared to life, the strangling smoke tainting the air around. Closer he moved, until side by side they stood._

"_A year ago, Naruto spilled the beans to Iruka and Sasuke didn't like it. He forced Naruto to send Iruka on this insane and never-ending mission that wouldn't exactly endanger his life, just remove him. I suppose Sasuke saw him as an obstacle… Heh… We're playing a fine game, he and I, and I owe him this. Besides…"_

_Neji couldn't see his face well._

_But he knew Shikamaru was smirking darkly._

"_I am a genius too. Always a few steps ahead… I will tell you where Iruka-sensei is. I've some soldier pills on me so if you use them, you can get there in about two days without taking a rest, only the consequences will be dire… Don't over-do it, take one, travel… You will need rest. I'll give you the exact instructions where to find him. You must find him, Neji. Iruka's been sealed off for way too long. It's time he made a sudden appearance in Konoha once more. It will disrupt the waters, cause ripples… You must bring him back. Bring him back, Neji. He knows the truth. He will explain. Trust me, he will. He will understand. Just tell him. And hurry."_

_From blissful ignorance to this life._

_Neji clenched his teeth. _

"_Give me the instructions."_

Sakura's placated voice pierced through the air. "Shikamaru… How far ahead has he planned?"

Kakashi crossed his hands over his chest. "This is getting… I don't even know what to say. It appears we have greatly underestimated Shikamaru and his ability to plan ahead. It appears to me he has devised a strategy to deal with it, with how the pieces are snapping into place… Or… Iruka."

Iruka's expression contorted into a grimace. "That's what I wanted to say before you arrived, Kakashi-san. The end is nigh."

"How did you-?"

Iruka's eyes fell behind Kakashi, as if Shikamaru himself had appeared there sometime between the dawning of reality – still but children left in the dark they were – and seeing the looming threat assume its final shape. "It's… That's what Shikamaru told me. I… It was confusing when it happened, when I was packing and getting ready. I mean, I wasn't very happy with it and I was just postponing the inevitable. Was a bit absent-minded too, left the front door open, he invited himself in and just… Changed everything, I guess."

_One year ago, whilst furiously packing the things allegedly necessary for his immensely important journey to Nowhere, Shikamaru boldly pushed the front door open, invited himself in and inclined his head to the side, a small, gleaming something in his ear reflecting so much sunlight that it ensnared Iruka's attention._

_Confused, he looked up. "Shikamaru? How did you get in?" It was ease to fake this; not having problems, not being bothered – all for his students. _

_Yet who the student, who the teacher?_

_Shikamaru idly touched the small silver earring dangling off his ear, the bared finger running along the circumference, a look of discontent on his features. "Stupid thing, never hanging out with Kiba again. God knows how I'm going to wake up next." _

_A drop of sweat rolled down Iruka's cheek. "Eh?"_

_Shikamaru shrugged. "I invited myself in, sorry. Anyway, you're packing, eh?"_

"_Ah…"_

"_Yeah… I guess this is what you get for knowing the truth, huh?"_

_Iruka blinked, forced a smile on his face. "Oh, so you know too?"_

_And then – who the student? Shikamaru dismissed him with such meticulous ease, as if he'd practiced in mirror before, spending hours in the morning and evening, no doubt, talking to himself just in order to pull the expression off without mistake. He almost disarmed Iruka with the look of pitiful understanding in his eyes and together they shared a look, the answer yet – yet what? – and lapsed into silence as both understood what had really happened. Only then did Iruka recall Naruto mentioning he wasn't the first-_huh.

"_You do… Well… I guess I'd love to talk to someone about it. It's a weird thing, isn't it? But you have the seal and, uh, we can't, even if you wanted."_

_Shikamaru's brows knitted together in regret._

_That silent, unspoken sorry drove Iruka insane._

_No matter, it was fine. It was perfectly in order. All-_

"_You'll be safe there. Let's call it hibernation, hm?"_

"_-what?" _

_Shikamaru walked closer, once more inviting himself to a chair which he pulled from the wall and sat on, until on the same eye level they were, until Iruka realized that in his hopeless state of mind he'd not even bothered with standing up from the bed, until he realized once more – the roles had not been reserved, but completely brutalized._

_Shrouded in secrecy, Shikamaru leaned forward. "Iruka-sensei, I ask of you to listen to me. Go in silence. The circle is not complete yet, people must not know. You could refuse, of course, under the condition of telling everyone Naruto's secret, in which case the repercussions would follow and Sasuke… Sasuke. No, it's too early. Sasuke and Naruto must be left alone for now. Until the first trigger. I assure you that no harm will befall you or Naruto. I'll keep watch over him, I swear, but in the meantime you must go to that place and get used to living far from Konoha for a while. I know it's a terrifying request of me, also knowing Sasuke had forced Naruto's hand… You know, don't you? About that."_

_With much difficulty, Iruka beckoned his muscles to cooperate, forcing a rigid nod._

_Shikamaru heaved out a deep sigh. "Yeah… And it doesn't contribute to anything. Naruto doesn't want you gone but that doesn't mean a thing. Naruto will not allow Sasuke to go on a rampage and if you stayed, recognizing you as a threat to his plans and the so-called peaceful living, it'd take only a moment for Sasuke to snap. I believe that other than Naruto, you're the second person with this much indirect control over Sasuke."_

"_The other being?"_

"_Isn't it obvious?" Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow, head lowered, and grinned. "Subaku no Gaara."_

… _Oh… So… So… A tremor went through his body. "I-… I see."_

"_I'm sorry… You have to go. For now. The circle must complete. I know you don't understand me. In due time, you will, but until then I ask you to place your trust in me. Please, Iruka-sensei, trust me. Explicitly."_

_Hah._

_Ha-ha._

_What other choice he had?_

… _No. This felt different. Shikamaru wasn't ordering, but pleading. Not appealing, but downright praying for a miracle. Ah, and that boy had always been too smart for his own good… Reportedly, he was also a skillful leader, too, one fine man. _

_Maybe he had the other choice of wreaking the chaos Shikamaru claimed would follow soon afterwards, maybe drawn to the havoc like bees to honey, but when stripped off this ashamedly of all he loved, the glimmer of hope in Shikamaru's eyes, through well hidden, subtly concealed, was the straw for him to grab onto._

_With only some residual hesitation on his part, Iruka spoke. "What do you want me to do?"_

_Shikamaru leaned back, eyes shining – relief in them, just as subtly laced. "I imagine it's going to be difficult, but live through it. Go to that place, settle down for a while, live. I can't guarantee you will be out in a week or two. In fact, according to my estimations, it might take up to a year and a half. What matters is the then part, however. See, that time, that period… Let's call this current phase a preparation phase. With the arrival of the final phase, all will end. Just listen to me… I will call for you. I will send someone for you. When that happens, know it was my initiative, not Naruto's, because Naruto would come personally. Know I am doing it without anyone's knowledge and behind their backs. Know that you're being called to share that secret, because the circle is complete. Know that when that happens, the final phase is just a few steps away and your presence is imperative for us to stop it. Know when I call for you, the end is nigh."_

_Seated, yes, but Iruka's body felt like it'd hit _– rock bottom_ – the bed from a jumper's spot positioned high above, for the weight of Shikamaru's words dragged him further down, the body sinking in response into the cushioned confinements of the bed with the sheets pooled around acting as the chains keeping a firm hold of him._

"_Ha… I… the end. Nigh… Of the preparation phase… I understand. I will trust you, Shikamaru, I will. Well, I… You won't tell me more, I suppose. I guess it's because the preparation phase has only started or-?"_

_Shikamaru barked out a curt, painted blue laugh. "Heh, correct."_

"_Well… Good to know I was right about something, eh?" _

"_I suppose…" _

_Iruka clasped his hands together. "Just one question, Shikamaru… What exactly is the final phase?"_

_Nothing._

_He looked up._

_Shikamaru's eyes closed. His chest rose. His shuddering, shallow breathing echoed around, nauseated, bearing the news of terror and fright. His fingers twitched, instinctively searching for the bad addiction of his. _

_His body tensed to an extent hurting even on the sight, tempestuous the thoughts of his as seen crossing his eyes every split second. Tormenting him._

_It had to have been tormenting him. Inside… Why… Pity. For him. And no-one else…_

_Shikamaru shifted in his seat. "The final phase… You know, this isn't the first time I've used this phrase… I kind of didn't know what I was talking about before, it just sort of felt like it was going somewhere and that it had to stop. Reach a point of… No-return, I guess, a point where it'd stop… I realized then what this was, a preparation phase. For that final act of… Huh… You know, the final phase, I guess, would be not everyone knowing as you might suspect, but all coming to a close. All, at last, I guess… Over. Huh… Really, I don't even know… I just hope it's not as heinous as all common sense tells me…"_

Ino felt a shiver go down her spine. "How far ahead has Shikamaru planned? What else are we to find out?"

The rest of the group, though similarly shaken to the roots by knowing that even the steps they were taking now had been predetermined years prior to the initiative of the rookie nine, quickly gathered their wits about and Ino was rewarded for her impulsive mind with a few helpless looks that put her raging thoughts to a temporary grief-induced stupor and beckoned the sigh to slip past her lips.

"Yes, I get it… We don't know for sure. Still, though… Somehow knowing that Shikamaru knew all this." Her hands rose, going around her body. "It sort of… creeps me out… It's like we're just pawns, you know? Expandable, just figures in a game of shogi… And Shikamaru and this other person are playing a game with our lives at stake." Disgusting. The thought of dozens of invisible strings attached to various parts of her body, controlling all her movements and even, somehow, inserted to her brain, going through the back of her head, a miniature little device lodged deep inside her brain where transmit signals it did – and receive them back.

Was he watching them even now? Maybe positioned in the highest point in Konoha, surveying all with a look of indulgent placidity in his eyes, a cigarette in one hand, a remote controller in the other, with which all things were set in motion, all proceeding accordingly and perfectly, not one tiniest mistake made to disrupt the flow of his heavenly ordeal.

Ino pushed the thought aside, shoved it with magnificent and intangible force against the figurative walls of her subconscious mind, where, temporarily knocked out and laying still for the time being, it stayed to bother her only later; for now she needed the tranquility she'd not been able to bask in for a while.

"Just ignore me," she said, voice brisk. "Let's just go already."

Kakashi's only visible eye closed. "Yes…I'm keeping the others updated using bunshins, but I'm afraid not all of us can come. Naruto's changed the guards and now our usual members are doing patrols or preparing for missions. It's almost suspicious how conveniently timed that move was."

Iruka bristled. "Are you suspecting Sasuke of interference?"

"Anything's possible at this point, though we can't ultimately deny the fact Naruto himself might have done it. Currently, we're trying to find out more about what Naruto has been doing lately, but it's just hard to say as even his ANBU have been sworn to great secrecy in that regard, so once more we're left in the dark."

Iruka laughed, somber. "Not completely. I can tell you. What Naruto told me. Just take me there, to your meeting place and I will reveal all. And then it's over. Finally."

Kakashi paused, simply seizing Iruka up and down, as if trying to measure the importance of the story based on the man's body language only, but that was an easy task, for merely looking at Iruka equaled to gazing intently in the sun; and no other thing in the universe burned as hot, shined as bright as Iruka's resolve.

Sealed off for one year and a day, holding it inside, bottling it up efficiently the entire time, waiting for his moment to come.

Really.

Sasuke may have been a powerful and fearsome man, but not even he could beat this.

This pure, unfiltered vigor.

After a few seconds of grievous contemplation, Kakashi nodded and together they marched towards the meeting place, the minds too busy with thoughts of what words were to follow to care at all about anyone seeing them and making the wrong assumptions, about even Sasuke himself walking on them and correctly guessing what they were off to do, because not even a meteor shower could have stopped them now, such was the strength of their fire.

All bottled up just as well.

By Sakura's side, Ino walked.

Kakashi up ahead, the rooftops suddenly full of ninjas from all around the village rushing to the place.

And their hearts, in perfect synchrony, beat a thousand miles per second.

Until he came.

Sakura stopped first.

They didn't see it, given her walking behind them, but her strangled gasp brought their attention first to her – then to the thing that had garnered her full attention, noticing that from around corner the devil himself, the mastermind, blissfully good and knowing had appeared; the pineapple-cut hair, the dark, knowing eyes and the look of contemplation tucked safely in them.

The group froze instantaneously, safe for Ino who rushed forward and threw herself around Shikamaru's neck, giving him the warm embrace the hero of all her dreams deserved.

The darkness subsided, revealing the warmth of his smile and he lifted one hand, resting it on Ino's back in a half-hug maybe awkward on first impression, but undeniably meant whole-heartedly.

Ino didn't pull away, not even a few seconds later. She was sure his gaze was gradually softening, the harshness in his eyes gained over the years stepping down from its throne for now, for a few moments later she felt the other hand follow the first, felt him hug her back, felt the heat of his body against hers and the firmness of his touch.

"I'm sorry, Ino."

Ino sniffled and shook her head. "You fool. Why did you make yourself our enemy?"

She wasn't expecting an answer. For once, her expectations were met.

She pulled away after a while, already missing the warmth his body emanated in waves – and suspected, somehow, judging by the hand still lying on her back, that he was just as unwilling to cut it short as she.

Yet perturbed far too much by his very presence, by the misgivings of their past rendezvous, Ino couldn't bring herself to further dwell on the pleasantly tingling and fantasy tickling thoughts of what if's and but no's.

Shikamaru shot a grateful look in Neji's direction, a wan smile forming on his ever youthful features. "Thanks."

Neji gave him a sharp nod. "Why are you here?" And cut directly to the chase.

Shikamaru's fingers drummed an all familiar song against Ino's skin, sending shivers up her spine and sin into her mind, before the hand was removed and Shikamaru followed Neji's example.

And then back to frowning terribly he was, the firm and stern gaze of his snapping her out of her reverie and eliciting another moan of displeasure from Sakura's lips.

As if she already knew what he'd say next…

Her suspicions didn't disappoint.

Shikamaru took in a mouthful gulp of air and shuddered. "It's… I know where you're going… I, heh. I have to admit, I didn't expect your little gathering to be that big, so I give you credit for that." A small snigger. "And I'm also glad to see you looking so lively and well, Iruka-sensei, and generally I'm glad you're back… Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to do it. Not now."

"This is outrageous," muttered Iruka, voice poisoned with dripping anger. Kakashi's hand shot out, stopping the chuunin before he could make that threatening step forward – there Ino wondered how exactly she'd not seen that fiercely protective side of her teacher –, and Iruka unwillingly nodded, letting Shikamaru continue.

"I'm not stopping you because I don't want you to say it. Frankly, I've had enough of all the secrets, but… Something happened that's making it rather impossible to proceed without first attending to the matter."

Iruka let out a disgruntled moan. "And what happened?"

Shikamaru cocked his head to the side – then his eyes shrieked in horror whereas the face, otherwise deceitfully unaffected, turned stone cold. "It's Naruto… After Neji found out, something happened to Naruto. He was sick for a few days. I'm sure you noticed he hadn't shown in the village at all and had started assigning people on missions only two days ago. Hm… Believe me, it's also in my best interest that you find out, but at the moment, I fear the timing to be the worst there is."

"Tell me, is Naruto's sickness related to what I saw?" asked Neji.

Subsequently, Shikamaru's lips parted and a strange tremor went through his body, before the lips, sewed shut, allowed no more sound to be heard from him.

Neji's brows burrowed greatly. "Is it related to the se-"

Shikamaru's eyes widened just a friction before he doubled over, a pained expression on his face and blood tickling from the corner of his lips.

Kakashi shot Neji a warning look. "Don't. He can't talk. Forcing it out of him or finding out here and now with the seal still on him would only inflict pain on him. Depending on which particular seal was picked and how it was applied, it could either twist his tongue and render him mute or direct all the blood flow to his brain to result in a far more heinous end than you're aware of."

Neji sighed. Ino didn't mistake it for anger.

And she didn't care.

A worried look was cast in Shikamaru's direction as he used the nearby wall to support himself and keep the body up and only longer minutes later, during which all waited patiently, maybe immersed deeply in their thoughts, did he straighten up and wipe the blood from his mouth.

"I'm fine." An automatically generated reply on his side. Ino pondered for who exactly – before realizing she'd moved in his direction to help him.

"Ah… Alright," she said and stepped away.

Kakashi acted his role of a wiser and more experienced man, forbidding the talk of the issue for the time being and giving Shikamaru the space to breathe. "If not discuss it now, what do you propose we do? Leave it for now?"

"Under any other circumstances," replied Shikamaru, the voice hoarse and whispery. "I'd be suggesting to go see him, but with Sasuke around, that's impossible. I'm not talking as his advisor now, as the keeper of the secret. Right now, I'm talking to you as Naruto's friend. Please, wait a little more. I hoped it'd be all over soon, I did, but, of course… Huh, never considered the human factor… No matter. Point being, please, wait. A few more days. Iruka-sensei, settle back, rest. Even if Sasuke were to find out now you were back, he wouldn't act, being far too preoccupied with Naruto's welfare to leave his side. And Naruto… I suppose it'd be also for the best that he didn't know you were back."

Iruka could have drowned in own grief. "I understand. I guess I'd be horrible if we did it now. Angry as I am, I'm prone to twisting things around and the story which Naruto told me deserves an objective, unbiased retelling, not the words of someone blinkered by own rage."

Shikamaru nodded, eyes warm. "Thank you. And you-"

"We don't mind," said Neji. "I'll let the others know. I am quite worn out, I admit and… Take care of Naruto."

"I will."

Kakashi turned to Iruka. "We can't have you coming back to your old place, so I'm offering mine for the time being."

Ino noted with curiosity how Iruka chose that exact moment to blush.

"A-ah? Kakashi-san, not sure that's a good idea?"

"It is, of course. After all, it's my idea," replied Kakashi, smiling gingerly, getting the half-hearted giggle from Ino and the awkward snicker from Shikamaru.

Iruka sighed. "Fine. Soon then, I suppose. Hah. I feel really… Weird. Knowing that… Well, I'm back. I guess… I guess I was too busy hating on Sasuke to realize I'd missed this place so much."

Ino chirped in, voice light and elevated. "Iruka-sensei, I can cook you something if you'd like? Really, it's time we helped you back and, honestly, you do look somewhat famished and-"

Such was life.

Such was this game of pretend. Because they didn't want to cook and chat and smile and be happy and all that, but they didn't want to say no to that request, because a great line had always existed between duty and friendship, right now shining bold as even Ino started to glimpse the dawning of reality on them all, that, really, weren't they doing all this out of loyalty and friendship, rather than necessity? Was it the duty holding their hands and leading them towards the answer? Or the need to find out so at last they could hold securely their dearest friend in their hearts?

Shikamaru walked off.

So did Sakura.

Torn between the two, Ino remained rooted to the spot, a helpless smile dancing on her lips.

Perhaps their actions had struck her as those of duty, but reflecting on Shikamaru's plea, she understood she'd merely deluded herself in the hopes of building up the barrier of protection about, as in to avoid all the pain she would, perhaps, encounter in the end.

It was a pity Shikamaru had never been given the ample choice to do that. Or that Sakura had all but dived into this lion's den, never minding the scrapes or smaller wound she'd sustain along the way.

Friendship. Really, such a strange thing it was… Such a strange, strange thing.

Ino's smile froze and, erecting the barrier once more for a while longer, she slunk her arm around Iruka's, shutting any protests with one warning look and almost skipping off with the unwilling and fatigued Kakashi leading the way.

And tomorrow, she would discard the barrier once and for all.

For all.

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

Into her office, the late morning sun peeked, ignorant of the curtains in the way, bringing along the smell of freshly cut grass, of raindrops meant to fall down any time soon, of the weather changing in sickening accordance with the happenings of the last night.

There in the corner, a dark, luminous spot of their lost dignity, and there on her table, the work she wouldn't get done if she prayed.

On her mind, way too many things.

Iruka-sensei back, Neji back, the secret to be revealed… A pity, though, the meeting had only lasted a few minutes before dispersed at once. A pity, though, that the obstacle this time had been too great a wall to jump over.

A pity, Sakura told herself, that Shikamaru had come.

And said-she drew a blank.

Blinking, she looked at the documents dealing with an in-depth analysis of a terminal illness of sorts that one poor soul had suffered from just recently, yet with her mind completely devoid of all that otherwise occupied it, the words usually of high significance were just letters randomly organized and pieced together to impose a number of confusing questions on her poor mind.

Huh. Pointless.

Fully resigned, she leaned against the back of her chair, leg outstretched in front of her and arms hanging loosely by her sides as she all but debated the importance of life with the ceiling built above.

She wondered if ceilings were meant to be called ceilings and not floors, as above wouldn't this ceiling be their floor? Did they happen to switch gravity, too, as people walked down it and what about their own ceiling?

Oh, maybe it worked differently, yet for the time being its exact workings would continue to elude her.

At least… For as long as she somehow thought the ceiling important enough to enrapture her attention that she'd not see she was completely shutting down.

"Ah… Huh… Wonder."

Shutting down. No emotions. Ever since-the man's arrival. And nothing. No news… So close they were and still so far and she felt she couldn't bring herself to care any longer, having reached her own point of no-return wherein even the matters of most grievous importance were comparable to ceilings.

Stupid, useless ceilings.

She dozed off.

"Sakura-hime!"

And abruptly shot from her seat, body lurched forward way too fast, dizziness a temporary issue of overwhelming quality, the pen immediately positioned an inch to hover above the paper as in to give an impression of an extremely busy person.

That was until the newcomer came to Sakura's line of sight, at which point she heaved out a sigh of relief and placed the pen onto the table. "Yumi-chan, shouldn't you be at school?"

"School's over!" shouted the girl determinedly and jumped to sit on the corner of Sakura's desk, no regard at all for the documents and other things sitting there.

"Yumi-chan…"

"It's over! … Okay, well, no… But Sakura-hime, I wanted to see you."

Sakura made a face. "That's not a reason enough, I'm afraid."

"But you've been so down lately, Sakura-hime," sulked the child, its expressive face openly fearful.

Sakura offered her a small smile. "I'm alright, Yumi-chan, just had a lot on my mind recently. You should go to back your _kaa-san_."

Stubborn, the girl huffed and swung her legs back and forth, the heels hitting the desk.

"Yumi-chan…"

"No."

"Please, Yumi-chan, this is not the right time."

"Sakura-hime looks sad. And Sakura-hime shouldn't look sad. I don't like it when Sakura-hime looks sad… Besides, why would Sakura-hime look sad? Your precious person…"

Sakura's heart stopped for a while. "I don't have that, my precious person."

Was the ceiling…? And the pen. And other inanimate objects… She had no other precious person. No other.

Yumi-chan would have none of that. "Nah… Sakua-hime is lying… If you had no precious person, you'd have gone already, because being so sole in this world would kill you. And no-one likes to be sole. Sole is the worst in the world."

As if she had any idea at all what she was talking about… Such naivety… So much-_sole._

Sakura's eyes landed on the girl's back, noting she'd focused too hard on the sun shining outside to heed the torrent of silence already reaching with its greedy fingers to drown them.

But details would be just that, details, and a part of Sakura's mind did some heeding – for the girl's words, however innocently meant, had hit one particular nail and, suddenly, she was thinking.

Did she have that precious person? That someone to cherish from the bottom of her heart, someone to… Was that why she'd not been able to live in the past few days, merely existing as a faint copy of her old self, roaming the streets with a ghastly pale face, the complexion of a ghost, and deadened eyes?

"What do you know about having a precious person, Yumi-chan?"

The girl shrugged. "You told me about them. And we learn about them. See!" She threw her arms in the air, drawing a wide circle with them. "If you have your precious person, you are a circle, you are complete! Like this, yes. But~, without it… The circle…" Her hands met at the top, the fingertips brushed… Then she clapped her hands and let them return to grasping the edge of the desk. "It breaks. Sad… It's very, very sad…"

"Sad, indeed," echoed Sakura, eyes cast downwards, mind uncomprehending.

The girl dared not notice.

Sad, perhaps, she could have been, having lost her precious person… No? Or maybe she'd never had them. First Sasuke and a foolhardy task on her twelve-year-old-counterpart's hands to obtain his heart, and the easily-executed ignoring of Naruto.

Years later, while finally a friend of Naruto's, still she'd pursued her love, thinking her willingness to kill him a blood-paved path to martyrdom, but then more years to pass to teach her she had neither; nor the sanguine Naruto, too preoccupied with acting a caretaker of someone else, neither the somber Sasuke, acting the wolf in sheep's clothing.

She had neither.

Both completely lost as she'd distanced herself from them, never bothering to pry, never to ask and inquire when she'd still had the chance. And her bond with Sasuke, not reconciled, her bond with Naruto, neglected.

So she was dying. Withering. Like a flower.

_Poetry of life._

"Ne, ne, Sakura-hime… It really is true then? But maybe even your precious person can cause you pain? He told me – he told me one day, 'look, Yumi-chan, look at them, how close they are, isn't it wonderful', and I looked and I saw. I saw they were each other's precious person. But… Ne, Sakura-hime, he is so o-os… os-tra-ci-zed! I learned a new word." She whooped. "But really, Sakura-hime, d'you know what it means, 'os-tra-ci-zed'? It really means sole!"

Sakura smiled even despite her best wishes. "It has many meanings, one of them being ignored. Not sole, which is lone, lonely or alone."

The girl pouted but didn't give up, not just yet. "But it is the same! If you are ignored, aren't you alone? You are. There. See? And he is!"

Honestly, so much tenacity in her. Sakura felt ponderous for a few, wondering where the girl had learned such words , when hardly did the teachers at academy use the word ostracize, and hardly did anyone refer to the feelings of loneliness as being sole, as associating it with soul was… Was.

She blinked, an unusual pattern of thoughts launching a direct onslaught on her mind; sole? Really? Children didn't use such things, unless beckoned to by the people in their vicinity, but Sakura couldn't think of anyone who'd say that, having heard it for the very first time only from-

"… Yumi-chan, when did you hear the word?"

"Sole?" she laughed.

And how did she know which word Sakura had meant? Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Yes, that one. Do your parents use it? Where did you hear it from?"

The girl remained silent.

Instead of answering immediately as Sakura would have preferred, she merely wiggled her backside and swayed side to side, an inaudible music playing in her mind, the only possible explanation, perhaps, to the tranquility in her face.

"He came to me. Sakura-hime, I am sorry. The last time I was… a brash brat," she recited, having, no doubt, heard the phrase from some other child or parent, a deep look of concentration in her eyes as she scrunched up her nose and, after a while, continued. "You know, Sakura-hime… He told me that day that Hokage-sama's happiness was a fleeting thing. I think I understand fleeting now. But he told me… He said Hokage-sama had a very precious person, his very own precious person whom he'd die for… I-_I was so scared_. He told about Hokage-sama and the man. That wherever Hokage-sama goes, so does he. And-and-I was so scared for Hokage-sama. I thought – what should I do? I need to help him. I need to protect Hokage-sama, make sure he loves us, because you can't love just one person, right? You do that and if the person disappears, so do you. And I was worried, I-I started crying and-I told him I'd ask, that I'd make sure Hokage-sama's love for us wouldn't go away and that I didn't believe him, and I said to him I would ask others."

She bristled, her body so tiny in comparison to her burden trembling. "And he told me to do it, to ask-and he said to ask someone precious to me, too, someone I loved… So… So." She looked over her shoulder, the eyes Sakura had in her mind previously called as beady now unusually clear and bright, a maddening swirl of emotions residing in them. "I asked Sakura-hime. A few days later. And ever since then, Sakura-hime's looked troubled. But he says it's okay, because if I ask a precious person, even if hurt is exchanged, we can share it."

Not waiting for answers, she jumped off the table, her small feet thumping against the ground, her skirt floating about and dark strands lashing about her face as – in an apparent rush, she threw herself onto Sakura's lap, her perfectly clipped fingernails cutting through all Sakura's defenses, her earnest, honest face bringing out the worst in her.

On Sakura's lap the girl rested her head. And still Sakura didn't even remember seeing her move.

She stared, stunned – the mind only backtracking now – and Yumi smiled. "Now, if Sakura-hime shares pain with me, we can be each other's precious person. And you can be happy. And smile! No? And then he will no longer bother me. That stupid, stupid shadow-user."

In Sakura's throat – the air lodged. "Would you by any chance be talking about Nara Shikamaru?"

Tittering, the girl snuggled her and fluttered the eyes close. "He's mean to me. Always tells me to look at them… And that one day he just said all those nasty things… Had me worried. Ne, Sakura-hime, is it because of me that you're this sad? Are you not complete? Without your precious person."

_Shikamaru…_

Sakura's hands rose, going around the girl's lithe form.

_Shikamaru… Really, how far ahead did you see? And plan? What else are you hiding from us?_

Yumi seemed to purr, content to at last be embraced by her Sakura-hime.

And Sakura could not force herself to feel reproachful towards Shikamaru any longer, even if she suddenly knew she'd been manipulated – manipulated using the girl as a weapon to lure her towards her doom, to snap her eyes open and hold the eyelids apart with tweezers – all to built the figurative hammer to shatter her soul into bazillion pieces.

_You really are something, Shikamaru…_

Because instead of spite she felt envy – envy the man would have gone this far, sacrificed years of preparations, maybe, and not lost one bit of his resolve knowing his future bonds were at stake. Knowing she'd find herself in this situation, with a child whose body had just recently been released from the strings, knowing that under any other circumstances, she'd be feeling most vengeful and foul, for such impurity the sole action of manipulating a child contained, so much it would soon start running down the sides of the chalice held within.

She recalled something. One tiny detail from the previous night.

"_I hoped it'd be all over soon, I did, but, of course… Huh, never considered the human factor…"_

That man could have never dreamed of perfectly encompassing the human factor – which was unobtainable, unpredictable, which like a pendulum would swing to the other side at its whim and whimsical cry, never to be tamed with ease. It would have never worked out.

Naruto failing, her failing – Shikamaru had not seen that.

But… Did that imply he'd believed in them? That Naruto wouldn't get sick – that Sakura would not suffer so – that if all had gone according to the plan, they'd all know the truth inside out by now?

Did this mean…

… _Have I failed?_

Moping and tear-stained, wallowing in self-pity, the cries of "oh, woe is me" echoing about both in her mind and the beseeching eyes of all around; the brooding and sulking, the eternal seeking of dark corners, the urge to remain curled in a tight, small ball in someplace dark and safe, preferably with no source of light nearby.

_I have failed._

The girl on her lap, not as uniquely innocent as only in the right place at the right time.

_I have failed… Why… Why am I doing this? Acting this weak, this powerless… Wasn't I strong before? Before all this started? Months and months prior to all… Didn't I once exist as a self-sufficient, strong-willed person? Didn't I… Or…?_

The time of Sasuke and Naruto not needing her-the time of them walking onwards whereas she could only watch their retreating backs.

Like she did now.

Still.

So. Rooted to the ground. And frozen. But this time-

_-Why? Why am I-_

The girl let out a contented sigh.

Sakura's hold on her tightened.

The eyes widened.

The lower lip quivered.

Her heart sank-the breath hitched-swallowed through pain and agony-and self-inflicted misery, through the bouts of self-hatred-

_Why am I acting this weak?_

Yumi sighed. "Sakura-hime, are you-"-looked up, stuttered meekly-"Sakura-hime, you're crying! You're sad, you're-"

She would have pulled away then, hadn't it been for Sakura's hands holding her still.

Indeed. Crying. But sad? … Not. At all.

Through the tears, Sakura smiled, joyful inside; salty, warm they were, cascading down her cheeks, sending heated surges of awareness to her heart – and she felt so very alive, more so than she had in months. "Ne, Yumi-chan, thank you."

"What-? Whatever for?"

Sakura's hold on the girl lessened and the little one stood to her wobbly feet, eyes gazing up ruefully at Sakura.

And Sakura could only smile. "For having me as your precious person."

She didn't understand, that simple child, but Sakura did – wholly and fully, from the very bottom of her heart, she at last did.

"Sakura-hime, I don't understand… But…"

"Go now, go home."

"But-"

"No buts, Yumi-chan, I'm sure your parents are worried. Now off you go."

"But you're-"

"I am fine." Soothing, her own voice sounded to her ears. Though naïve by far, still the girl was receptive to the subtlest of changes in the tone, and noticed thus that seamless quality of Sakura's words. She looked somewhat confused right then, completely clueless to what exactly had transpired in Sakura's mind, but that was quite alright, because despite all that-

"Yumi-chan, you are my precious person, too. And you are your parents' precious person, just as they are yours. Now go. Don't worry them. I'll be alright. This… This isn't sadness that I'm feeling. Trust me."

Tentative, she took a step back, before bobbing her head up and down firmly, eyes set determinedly, like she wished to persuade Sakura of her own intricate knowledge.

Sakura laughed. "Go."

A few more meaningful looks – then a toothy smile and off the girl really was, leaving Sakura to herself.

Sometime later, she'd get a patient. She'd get busy again. Chat to people here and there, run to and fro, hands busy and self preoccupied, yet not with work only as, then, another thing spoken just some time ago flashed before her eyes as if whispered directly into her ear just a second ago.

"_We know that once a week, Sasuke spends the night in his old home in the Uchiha district."_

Calendar.

Her eyes narrowed.

Her hand rose-stroking idly the number spelled on the sheet of paper.

_Sasuke… I am no longer that child, haven't been for a while… I wonder, what will you do? Reject me, hate me…_

Bitter, the very idea, so familiar she couldn't help but place her hand flat against the number and smile wider, brighter than before.

_Now, now it's your turn to watch my retreating back._

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

"So what's with Naruto?"

Shikamaru stopped dead in his tracks. "Neji, how did you know I was here?"

Neji did his "I know more than you I let on" thing – which consisted mostly of some silent staring and deep breathing – before deciding to indulge the man. "I know you go see Kurenai-sensei once every week to see how she's doing. Even despite the severity of the situation, that habit of yours has yet to change."

Shikamaru stared and shrugged. "You got me."

But didn't answer.

Neji frowned; so Shikamaru either wouldn't or couldn't say, yet obviously it'd been made clear it was surely the latter, so he didn't press on, choosing different tactics. "I see. How is Naruto doing? Alright, I'm hoping?"

Shikamaru walked, leaving Kurenai's cozy home in the wake of the dying afternoon, hands stuck in his hands, eyes barely open.

"You seem… exhausted," commented Neji after a while.

Shikamaru snickered. "Maybe. And he's doing alright, I think. Sasuke's still keeping watch over him… More so than usual."

"I got a report saying the Uchiha was considering changing his habits."

"Maybe, but old habits die hard."

"So you know what I'm talking about?"

Shikamaru stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Presumably?" Then resumed in walking. Neji bit back the annoyed sigh and stepped forward – trailing after could have too been a befitting description, but he thought it degrading, preferring the subtlety of the neutral step.

"It is today then, isn't it?" asked Neji.

"Yeah. Sasuke's going to the district today. He didn't talk about it, I can tell you that, but it's his thing-and before you ask me; I don't know what he does there, no-one does, not even Naruto. Apparently, they still do have some secrets."

Neji swallowed the irritable retort of "I wasn't going to say that", knowing he'd been fixing to say exactly that. "I see. Haven't you wondered about it?"

"Sure, but Sasuke's good at keeping his distance. And secrets. And, really, I don't fancy decapitation just yet. Actually, never, but that's a detail."

"Huh, yes."

His mind reeled; so Naruto would be left completely alone, but already he suspected the chances of anyone getting to meet the man directly to be below zero, and thus the thought of attempting it didn't even cross his mind.

A pity, as he wished to talk. To Naruto, to Shikamaru, to Iruka or Sasuke, to those four involved who knew the secret, but such privilege would not be handed down to him, as he'd found out through bitter, learning experience – the courtesy of Iruka's worn-out eyes and the admission to fearing the truth enough he couldn't even speak of it out loud. And so they lapsed into this silence which was a combination of comfortable and awkward, walking side by side, meant to eventually go separate ways, just coincidentally cutting the same corners and turning right and left at the same time.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Shikamaru was eying him, look accusatory, but as he didn't address the matter at all, Neji opted for an innocuous smile and said nothing.

A moment later, they bumped into Sakura.

Blind and focused, she walked past then and hadn't it been for Shikamaru abruptly halting, Neji wouldn't have realized it was her.

"Oi, Sakura," called out Shikamaru.

Sakura stopped and turned around, the most curious expression on her face.

Neji's brows knitted together. "Sakura, is everything alright? You look troubled."

"Oh. No. I'm okay," dazed, she answered, and ended the conversation before it came to existence with the absent look in her eyes, the dismissive wave of her hand and back to walking strangely who-knew-where she was.

Strangely was inappropriate; just the result of Neji's conservative mind refusing to call it determined, as how could a walk be considered determined?

The thought had not even finished before Shikamaru was muttering something under his breath and gazing intently at Sakura's back soon altogether obscured by the closing crowd.

"Huh, weird… Wonder what's up with that," said Shikamaru.

Neji nodded in agreement. "She did look a bit weird, I admit. Hmm, perhaps she has recovered already?"

Shikamaru grimaced. "Nah, can't be that soon."

"What is she doing then?"

"What, I can't tell you, but where…" he looked towards the ground, wondrous. "Isn't that the way to Uchiha district?"

"Reckon she's going there?" suggested Neji, only a bit later fully understanding the hidden insinuations in the question.

Startled at that, he turned to Shikamaru to see the man facing him; silently agreeing to discard all misunderstanding started prior to Sakura's mysterious appearance, they shared a dark, meaningful look, before agreeing on one thing.

"Well," started Shikamaru slowly, twisting only with obvious hesitation his body around to once more walk where he'd initially intended to. "Whatever it is, I don't like it."

"Hopefully, it's not the Uchiha district. I can't imagine what would happen if Sakura and Sasuke faced each other now."

Shikamaru nodded, expression dry, before he froze and Neji's body mirrored the action with that previously mentioned degradation.

"You don't think…?" he asked, looking for any signs of ridicule in Shikamaru's eyes.

"No, not even Sakura would make such a mistake, even in her current state."

"Still… Should we go after her?"

As Shikamaru shook his head, Neji shot him an incredulous look. "So what are you proposing then?"

The man's response was a lop-sided, wry smile. "To go do that one thing I'd originally wanted to do…" He emitted a low, rumbling sound from his throat and with still some residual signs of contemplation started off. "Come, we're going to see Naruto."

"What? Naruto?" Neji's muscles tensed, a response immediate to the idea. "Is that a good idea?"

"Sasuke's gone. If there's any time to see Naruto, then it's now. 'Sides… Well." Tired, he huffed. "Sakura will just have to deal and not do anything stupid. Right now, I need to check on Naruto. Or, what? Don't tell me you're getting nervous about meeting the Hokage," he said, smirking, and Neji scoffed.

"Not at all, simply expressing my surprise with the idea. Count me in."

"Alright. Let's get going."

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

Its large eyes narrowed. "Brat, if you keep staring at it, it might just learn to stare back."

Naruto inclined his head to the side, eyes peering over his shoulder at the nine-tailed fox behind the bars.

"Che. Worried, fox, aren't you?"

"Worried?" breathed the animal, the lips not moving and the voice thus appearing to be disembodied, echoing around ominously, but said brat remained unfazed. "Not at all. Merely observing for now. You've been staring at it for a while now. Regretful, perhaps?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed back, landing back on _it._

On the small, glowing sphere found in the middle of the room in his mind, colored blue and glimmering faintly.

"Nah… I don't regret it."

The fox growled. "You should. Still after so many years you're this oblivious. It astounds me even now that you fail to comprehend what you two did."

Naruto sighed. "So you keep saying… Che." He made an irritated grimace. "Stop bothering me already."

"Oh, should I? Some humans don't like hearing the truth, you being a prime example of that. Tell me, how does it feel to know you could die any moment now?"

"I'm not doing that, fox. Stop being so fussy like an old hen."

Another growl, a low and guttural one. "You really have no idea, Naruto. Binding your life so closely to another's, intertwining your life forces… You really are a fool. Defenseless and small. I pity you."

Naruto looked at the sphere.

"Yeah…" His lips parted. "Look at it… It's so small."

"Small indeed, but just a few days ago it was cutting into the walls of your mind. It took me almost a week to repair all the damage."

"A week, eh," he repeated and looked down at his hand. So lined it was, scattered with them. "Something so small…"

The fox emitted a peculiar sound, its body morphing into chakra and passing through the cell bars, the enormous, furred head then laid beside Naruto. "You _have_ been staring at it intently for hours now. Every day you go look. Looking for something, perhaps, brat?"

Absent, Naruto gazed into the red eyes. "Looking… Nah. Just observing, too. Do you think Sasuke's got a similar one?"

"Hnn, given the ordeal, I'd assume so," hoarsely it replied, eyes involuntarily landing on the sphere. "His, probably, would be red."

"Thought so. Think he can go take a look at it, too?"

The fox scoffed in its animal-like way. "Presumably. He's an Uchiha, brat, his ocular jutsu is the highest ranked around. The question remains, why would he do that?"

Naruto shrugged. "Curious, I guess."

"Evasive as per usual. At least you're not trying to kill yourself again."

"I wasn't."

"Really?" it drawled out, the body of chakra moving around Naruto, until it appeared the fox had opted for enveloping him in an embrace, the incessant flow of chakra bubbling underneath its surface. "How foolish of me then to assume such a ridiculous thing, eh, brat? Thinking you only need him… Do you honestly believe you have such a tight control over me? Heh. Foolish human."

Naruto glared at the creature, arms crossed over his chest. "What are you trying to say?"

And Kyuubi looked up at the sphere hovering above them. "Nothing, merely stating something. I couldn't remove it even if I wanted to."

"I'm not asking you to."

"And I'm incapable of doing it, just as you are."

Naruto waved him off, dismissive. "Right, right, only Sasuke can."

"Can he?" Kyuubi's eyes narrowed into slits traveled casually to Naruto's form. "Honestly, you really don't know a thing."

"Not like you'll tell me anything," grumbled Naruto, his left brow twitching. "You just keep saying all these cryptic things_. Bah._ Annoying fox, still useless even after so many years."

"Useless and yet, without me, you'd have died… Although." Once more, its face dissolved as the chakra torrent flowed forward, assuming its shape only when just a few inches separated them. "The Uchiha did help a little. So dependent on him you are. He only had to _kiss you_."

Naruto huffed.

"Oh, flustered, aren't we?"

"You wish," he snapped back, voice a warning unspoken.

The fox laughed cruelly. "Ah, so defenseless you really are… I wonder, what the Uchiha does when you're fast asleep? When you foolishly trust to be safe in his arms?"

"Jeez, stop acting like Sasuke's some kind of a pervert."

"Maybe I'm not saying he is the pervert," commented the fox idly.

Naruto shot it a petrified look. "_What?_ Are you saying I am?"

Almost cutely, as if seizing him up and down, Kyuubi cocked its head to the side. "Maybe what I'm really trying to say isn't related at all to such matters… But still is perverse."

"Oh, fine, humor me then. What is it? Either say it or bugger off."

"Heh. Oh, _brat._ You never did heed my warnings. Even on the brink of death, still you only listened to him… One day you will see how perverse and twisted your relationship is. If…" Its smile disappeared. "If it still could be referred to as such."

Maybe wisely, Naruto ignored the nasty ping in his heart. Instead of replying, intently he looked up at the sphere, seeing it flicker here and there, as if in response to his thoughts – and as he reflected back to the misgiving suffered a few days ago, its radiance grew.

Kyuubi hissed.

"Brat, what are you doing?"

Silence was his answer.

With the over-sized fox fretting in the background, Naruto almost laughed. Only almost.

Mesmerized, he couldn't tear his eyes away from it, from that tiny, almost miniscule sphere barely the size of his necklace, and truly it did mirror with precision all that crossed his mind – that loathsome, precious and beautiful, wiser beyond its few years of existence seal.

He reached out.

Slowly, it descended to hover an inch above his palm, glowing faintly, that one thing capable of killing him within moments.

Kyuubi's voice stilled.

Out of fear or respect, it did not speak and Naruto marveled at the size of the thing, at the power it held over him, at that piece of him.

After a while, he could resist no more.

"Heh… Never looked inside Sasuke's mind. Never before. He's been in mine many times now. Kind of feels unfair, kind of feels like… like I don't know what to expect there… And he won't let me in… Ne, fur-ball, say…"

Kyuubi's body sank back into the darkness of its cage. "I cannot answer your question, Naruto."

"Duh, didn't even let me finish," he said, turning around and releasing the sphere to float upwards to linger at the ceiling again.

"You did. You always ask yourself that question, brat," echoed the body, truly disembodied now, for the fox had crawled to hide deep inside its cage, not even its red eyes visible, not a sign of it at all. "If the thing's mutual, if he's hiding something. Always over and over again, the same questions… Why won't he let you inside his mind? Well, the answer would be obvious, but I cannot give it to you… you see, above all, I value my own existence and that, in this case, means I need to value yours…" A drowsy growl was heard. "So I will protect it this way. Heed this warning, brat, if nothing more… Pray to your Kami-sama that to that question you never…"-disappearing into the distance, growing silent-"… ever…"-barely audible, almost like the caress of the midnight breeze-"… find the answer."

Silence.

It was supposed to be golden.

Naruto found it… not so… much…

A voice.

Dim, wan, transient.

Shikamaru. And… Neji? He blinked.

One last time, ponderously, he glanced at the cage, the sight of the fox gone disturbing him a lot more than he was willing to admit, yet as itre appeared not, safely hidden in the depths of his mind, Naruto turned on his heel, walking towards the corridor, a bright, blinding light at its end.

Light at the end of the tunnel, eh? He wished.

A slight shake of his head, then the light illuminated his figure, then enveloped it whole and he closed his eyes, unseeing for now, mind shifting back to where his body stayed.

"Naruto…"

Not Sasuke, huh?

Unwilling, the eyes fluttered open, narrowed through confusion at the familiar faces of Shikamaru and Neji staring down at him, capable not of immediately comprehending the whole of the situation until a bit later when, residing firmly in its place again, the mind compelled him towards a standing position and Naruto's muscle obeyed only out of despair.

"Yo." A harmless greeting on his part, and still they looked despaired-they.

Wait, no. His muscles tensed up, eyes widening, the comfort he'd previously felt ultimately gone. Frightful, the eyes landed on Neji's somber figure.

Neji's lips parted, a deep breath taken in instead of the surge of cuss words breaking out as Naruto had expected, but as Shikamaru nudged him – a sharp, undoubtedly painful jab in the side – he cleared out his throat and, uncertain, looked at Naruto.

"I see you're doing well. Shikamaru mentioned you were sick." Strangely awkward for the skilled master of Byakugan.

Strange, awkward indeed…

Naruto sighed. "I almost broke the seal."

Neji stepped back – horror in eyes. "What? You mean-not the one with Kyuubi, but then… Wait, that one…"

Silence.

Why had he even spoken of it?

To seek comfort, maybe? Shikamaru would never answer his questions. Sasuke treated him a child. And Gaara had left with a cryptic message. Huh… His lips pulled back, a tranquil smile dancing on his features as he jumped off the railing and, calm, walked towards Neji.

Focus. _Focus._

Deep breaths. Taken. Slow.

Calm. He'd be calm. For once in his life, he would be this calm.

Neji was watching him.

Shikamaru, the village. Heh. So typical of him, Naruto thought, to be seeking solace in the muted voice of their home.

Naruto ran his fingers through his blond hair and swore under his breath. "Yeah, that one…"

"But how? I thought you couldn't break it."

"I can't."

"No-one can," added Shikamaru, a haunted look in his eyes.

Naruto could swear the guy had just witnessed the exchange between Kyuubi and he.

"Yeah… Only… under some circumstances…" he said, cautious, expectant, watching Shikamaru from the corner of his eyes-

-then Shikamaru's gaze fell upon him, then Naruto was put under close scrutiny of the man's beseeching eyes, then Shikamaru grasped the dawning of comprehension firmly in both hands, then-

-then Shikamaru was shaking with anger.

Naruto supposed it was also the seal; now, when he wanted the most, he couldn't talk at all.

"Sorry," he said, ignoring Neji's confused look, ignoring Shikamaru's growing anger.

Shikamaru laughed, bitter, the pathetic excuse of an apology ignored. "Sorry? You're-_please,_ Naruto… _Do_ elaborate on it, so Neji would understand what the hell you'd almost done to yourself."

Neji seemed to be opting for clarity in his eyes. Still Naruto could tell the man was confused. He couldn't blame him. In fact, he'd have rather preferred for keeping it that way, with Neji a stubborn mule and him just saying "I don't blame you", but Shikamaru wouldn't let him-the demeanor of his would not budge in inch with its perturbing, sizzling anger, and Naruto realized he was the one budging; stepping aside, walking a bit further away, turning around, torso angled sidewards awkwardly as in to allow him to look at the village.

The sun was setting down.

Could have been such an ample opportunity for some reflecting, instead…

"I…" he started. And he stopped. Saying it… So… strangely difficult? Neji had seen it and-come back. Naruto still didn't know why. Shikamaru wouldn't say. Only that it was nigh. Nigh.

_It._

Ha.

How very self-explanatory… He pursed his lips into a thin, straight line, that gradually wrinkled downwards into an upside-down smile, marring the rest of the face along-sowing it with deep, perpetual lines of premature aging, leaving it sunken and paled, ridden off its usual tanned, sun-kissed quality, the golden hair left to cater to the needs of the wind transiently.

And both were still watching him.

A twitch – as his hands rose an inch and Naruto quickly acted, forcing them back down, recognizing the gesture, knowing that-hugging himself now, such a weakness shown, would be worse than worst.

But.

Also.

Com.. forting… And… he sighed. The air rocketed through his windpipe, breezing past his lips, emanating an aura of primal fear.

"I… I kept thinking, you see, about… Not needing anyone. But Sasuke. And…" His heart hurt. "How I didn't need anyone else… Not my friends, not my family, not you or anyone else… Not this village. How I could leave it all behind and not care, as long as Sasuke was by my side… And the seal, it reacted. It's… A deal. We made. I am to never betray the villagers, never to leave them behind… If I do, if I, even for a moment, think of committing to it… It..."

_It devours me. It burns my insides. It boils the blood. It sends it pouring out of my body crevices. It peels the skin off. Sends me down the spiral of insanity. It makes me lose my mind. It makes me a puppet with its strings cut. It makes me experience the worst pain in the world known. It… _

But he had never known that.

Never suspected…

Did Sasuke's…?

They were waiting, the two of them, for him to finish the sentence, finalize the fate, put a dot behind it and capitalize it properly, to sign his own sentence, let it be known he'd screwed up majorly.

And he wished, even for that one tiny, fleeting moment, to forget about them. About Neji. And Shikamaru. Sakura, Kakashi, Ino, Chouji, Tsunade, Konohamaru… Iruka… _Iruka…_

And not yearned to see them anymore.

Only Sasuke.

His Sasuke.

In his thoughts, on his thoughts, always there. Always with him. Even physically. Even now with his chakra coursing through him in a drunken, feverish stupor… Even now.

To feel it, to feel it again… Be with him Sasuke… But, but-

He groaned; the muscles clenched, a spasm sent in his limbs, he lost balance, toppled over backwards, only the railing saving him, only the hands around him-

"_Naruto._ What the-what's wrong? What are you… If this is just a joke to change the topic, then it's not funny."

A shocked moan.

What… But why… did it… hurt… to think about him… Sasuke hadn't gone, not at all. Not at-

Naruto looked to his side-incidentally, his eyes landed directly on Shikamaru's.

Something in them – ignored. Went past. Deeper but what-it was no…

The shadows, not sentient, yet vivid, played a cruel game of pretend.

The sun streaming down on them, on the building behind, on a similar railing on its top, on all the things there, all positioned weirdly, strangely-coincidentally enough that a shadow was cast on his neck, drawing a thick, dark line across it, as if a scar, a scar darker than black lay there, as if, as if…

Naruto's heart sank.

Shikamaru blinked. The image, yet, as reflected in his eyes, did not disappear.

On instinct irrational and nothing else, Naruto's hand rose, going around his neck, touching it – shaking, so afraid, as if truly something would be there, perhaps that thick scar he'd not seen before, but just seconds later the fingertips were coming in contact with clean skin, succulent flesh.

He thought.

He could not. Think. It was-heavy on his mind-he felt as if –showing him-a thing and-

-and…

A tremor went down his spine. "Shikamaru, Neji, I must go. I must go look for Sasuke."

"What is this?" groaned Shikamaru. "Can't live without him at all?"

Neji shook his head, stepping away, looking sour. "You had us worried for a moment. You could have said it was simply about missing him."

Naruto's hand shook. It wouldn't stop shaking. _It wouldn't freaking stop._

His eyes widened. "I must go look for Sasuke. Now. There is something… wrong… feels as if…"

"Huh… Sasuke, right," muttered Neji, voice empty. "Hmm… Shouldn't you be more worried about Sakura? Sakura, that reminds me… So was she going in the Uchiha district?"

Shikamaru would have shrugged-"I don't-"-or finished that sentence, but right then Naruto's world came crashing down.

Immense, deep and repulsive, the horror that gripped him. "No… No. Sakura can't… That… DAMN IT."

Both stared at him. "We can't be sure she'd go there. Even if she did, no matter. Granted, the situation is a bit complicated at the moment and-wait… are you saying…" Neji trailed off. Frowned.

Just a little bit, Naruto panicked. Like an animal – cornered the beast, by its own beastly mutated self –, he growled. "Uchiha district. _Now._ Sakura can NOT meet him. If she does." He wouldn't finish that sentence.

Screw trailing off.

Screw mystery.

Screw that gnawing, nauseous sensation grappling his very being.

He jumped on the railing and cared not for being followed.

"If she does, she'll never be the Sakura we once knew."

Chakra to feet, chakra to his whole being-behind, Neji and Shikamaru charged and Naruto's figure blurred, but a bright, yellow flash now.

_If she does…_

_Sasuke, will you really force my hand?_

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

Half an hour was all she needed.

But not in her wildest dreams had she suspected the feeling of entering the barren and dark Uchiha district would impact her this deeply.

The buildings were empty, devoid of any human life, the streets just as well, lacking the laughter, the joy, the buzz. The general concept of life.

Down the street adorned by such vacant homes, she felt as if caught in a time continuum, and forever and ever she'd be doomed to walk down this particular street, wherein all light flickered, and even the bugs refused to filter through, because such a thick, impenetrable air of fear there lingered, impossibly foul, the stench getting under her skin even though clothed properly she was, the tendrils curling under her nose and entering the mind, the mood killing her.

But she knew where to go. But she knew she had to go. And she knew where he lived. At least – the old household he had, once upon a time, shared with his late family.

So she didn't mind the atmosphere, didn't mind every part of her screaming at her to flee. To run. While she could.

Fear was irrational, she told herself. And useless. It made her human. But it also made her weak. And weak was something she refused to be. No longer weak. Not now. Not tomorrow. Not ever again.

She stepped on.

Eyes glued to the ground, only here and there peering up at the surrounding buildings, waiting for that one to appear.

It did.

She breathed out a sigh of relief.

The door open, the air inside nauseating.

She gagged and put a hand over her mouth, careful where she stepped. Clean though the ground was, the same couldn't have been said about everything else; did Sasuke really go there at all? All the layers of dust and filth… Impossible.

Putting that aside, she walked further in, looking around only with idle interest, fearful of what to expect from the dark corners and even darker, unoccupied rooms.

The unpleasant aroma of serendipity filled her nostrils.

Minutes later and she left like years of her life had been taken without her consent while she roamed the deserted Uchiha house, while she looked closely for both a sign someone had been there – and that Sasuke was present.

Didn't they have an attic? Or… She coughed and stopped, trying to tell the otherwise indiscernible pieces of furniture from each other.

With the windows hammered in, blocked, the light wasn't streaming inside and truly now – the darkness was getting thick and tangible.

Blindly she reached out, hand curling around something – the railing!

The railing but then…Stairs? To her left she looked, realizing that the staircase led to the second floor. Swallowing hard, she walked up, the stairs creaking loudly with each step taken, until she stopped at the top. There she paused, knowing she was in a desperate need of fresh air, because this way – if she kept going, would she suffocate? And why…

"I should go," she muttered to herself. There were no signs of Sasuke. In fact, it appeared no-one had been to this house in years, less alone a week… Maybe everyone was wrong? Maybe Sasuke didn't really go to his old parents' house… But then…

Sakura sighed, looking forlornly at the ground, and turned on her heels – until something caught her attention.

"Light?"

In the house? Huh… Odd.

Resolved, she followed the source of light, eventually finding herself in a room – possibly the only room with a window untouched, so it was the moon – the moon above – reaching inside, and she stopped to stand directly under the window, a touch of longing in her eyes.

Until she took a sharp intake of air-

-and realized this was also the only room to have fresh air. Relatively fresh, that was, as if there the window was occasionally left open, as if someone really did venture there from time to time and remained within for some time.

Yet in a way it enforced the eerie feeling; the walls were moaning, the floor screeching, all beyond neglected and in throes of despair, hurtling feelings of hopelessness at her.

How was this… What was this room?

Vast, large… Attic?

She shuddered, hands going up around her figure. "I… I have a really bad feeling about this…"

"Then maybe, _Sakura_, you should learn to listen to that feeling."

A deceitfully loving hand caressing her neck.

Lips brushed against her ear.

Hot breath descended down upon the flesh.

"It might just be right."

"_Sasuke."_

He grabbed her with fury and hurled her against the wall, her body falling limp onto the ground, stunned.

_What._

She gasped. And looked up, upper body held upwards, propped by her hands. "Sasuke… what are you…"

A demon.

No human being could look that terrifying.

That. Possessed. By anger.

That… No.

She choked. Coughed. Pushed herself back on her feet. Wobbly. The knees. Buckled underneath her weight – she pressed herself against the wall for support and realized only then he'd thrown her against it.

_What the… Why…_

Another cough. Panicky. "Sasuke, what are you doing? What was that for-"

"Did you know they died here?"

He cut her off.

His hand rose, the motion slow and mesmerizing, light shining down upon the pale skin. His fingers twitched, closed around it, as if hoping to enslave a piece of the light for himself.

Keen eyes watched it just barely, unfocused, blood red.

"And where I found them."

Touched her arm. Broken? No.. Bruised. No injuries. None whatsoever. Only…

Sakura looked towards the ground. "I see… And is that why you go here? Why you threw me against the wall? That was unnecessary, Sasuke." She was angry.

He didn't care.

"Look at me."

He really didn't care.

"Look at me, Sakura."

His hand shot out, grabbing her by the chin, forcing her to look up and meet his eyes.

"I know why you're here. You and your meddling mind. And methods. Do you still pine after me? Do you, Sakura?" It shot out again-then froze mid-way and stroked her cheek.

"No," she hissed through gritted teeth.

His low, amused laugh echoed around. "And yet you're here… To pry. To know."

Her heartbeat did too.

Sasuke placed a hand right by her side, all her movement restricted, and leaned closer.

There was that light in the room, but it was too far. A few feet that felt like the whole ocean built between.

Against her best wishes, Sakura looked Sasuke in the eye, all just to see the lunatic within.

"What do you want, Sasuke?"

Sasuke, whatever it was he wanted, would share it. Indeed, he would. "What I want? I want you to meddle more… Meddle more, just keep asking, Sakura, just keep doing it… You and your meddlesome, merry little group of go-doers. It's what feeds this thirst."

He licked his lower lip.

"It's what keeps this story an intriguing love affair."

"I don't understand…" she whispered.

"Then, Sakura. I will make you understand." He pulled away.

Stepped back.

One, two, three steps, then basking in the moonlight.

"I will make you understand, Sakura. Isn't that what you want?"

"What…?"

The walls started bleeding. Blood poured from all sides, defying gravity and gathering upwards to cover the ceiling, before forming stone-hard cones that dropped to the ground, infecting it with the blood red liquid as if a virus.

Frantic, she looked around. "Genjutsu? _Damn it_. Sasuke, what are you doing?"

"Nothing," nonchalant, he replied. "Giving you what you wanted."

"What?" she gasped and tried to hide her fear – because she was alone with him and couldn't break the genjutsu, not in her current state and no-one knew she'd come to see him, no-one at all and-she breathed out. _"Stop it."_

"No. You wanted it. It's why you came after me, right?"

She shook her head and tried to move, but realized she couldn't. The cones dissolved, the blood turning pitch black.

The moon long obscured.

"I came to you to talk! To ask you to stop! You're hurting Naruto, Sasuke, you're hurting everyone."

"Not at all, Sakura. I'm not hurting anyone. Yet. In fact. That." Lifted his hand, balled into a fist; the darkness embraced them. "Has yet to start."

"What… Are you planning?... Are you planning to betray Naruto?"

"Not possibly." A transient, entirely saccharine smile on his face. "After all, if I betrayed Naruto, the seal would kill me. Don't you know that?"

Nothing but darkness.

Nothing but Sasuke's figure.

Nothing but the small, red sphere on his chest, as if bleeding from his heart he was, nothing but the shallow, quickened breathing.

Sasuke's smile disappeared.

"Let me show you then, the secret Naruto and I share. Let me show it to you. I hope, Sakura, that you understand."

He flickered. Started disintegrating.

Sakura could only watch.

"I hope, Sakura…"

Only his red eyes remained in the darkness to glower at her, while the darkness around her morphed to something different, light coming from all directions.

"_That you choke on it."_

Gone.

She gasped and fell down on all fours, wind suddenly hitting her face, the scream of "Naruto" suddenly filling her ears, the sight of – as she looked up – Sasuke's hand going through Naruto's chest, the blood so, so very red.

Her insides swam.

The figures of the two disappearing, falling into an abyss, then appearing from above, floating in the maddeningly endless space of Naruto's mind.

Sakura heard a scream.

And then, enthralled, she could only watch the scene unfold.

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, but the story idea is mine alone.

**A/N:** Dearest reviewers, you guys are amazing, you make my day. ;) Love you to bits and pieces x) I got many beautiful reviews for the last chapter, I was so ecstatic, so thank you all for that! I believe I should thank you, somehow, anyhow… What would you like? :D Hm. Fanservice? ._. I~ don't know. Ask. And remember to review even for this chapter. Eeeee~!

Anyway, 'bout this chapter…

I am one day late! Darn… I was busy-actually, I was a bit anguished… I had an exam that I'd failed and today I re-took it, so I spent the entire yesterday either stressing out or studying 8| Well… It helped. I passed! :D So… Sorry about the belatedness… It might happen again, as I realized my next exam is on Thursday so I might update Sole either on Thursday night or even Friday. Sorry, folks :\

In this chapter, lots of things happened. Maybe too many of them. And still no big revelation – and despite that, you found out more. And still so much confusion, still so few answers… I wanted to add more scenes, but then I believe the chapter's long enough, so I shall just keep those pesky little things for the next chapter xD

Sakura tried to get back up on her legs. And look how she suffered for that. But have no fear, she is getting her moment, she is getting stronger. Just, er, not now… Yeah.

And Shikamaru… Poor bastard. He really had it all planned. From the very beginning. But, then, so did… Who? Sasuke? Ahh… What has Sasuke planned? And who does it concern? Also, just in case you haven't noticed… Damn, do I love Shikamaru. He's amazing. Looove~

And, honestly, Kyuubi meddling… No good. If the fox expresses concern, then I believe our fates to be sealed…

As for Naruto and Sasuke… They're just so… I can't even… Well. Future holds the answers, I guess.

Anyway! I did post a poll in my profile ages ago, haha, and you can go see it and vote xD It interests me what you guys think and, eventually, the results could even influence how much I reveal :) Don't be mistaken, I do have the story planned out, there's just one thing that I'm not sure I should reveal to you… To clarify further, a reviewer asked me if Sasuke and Naruto were together and I decided to put on my sunglasses and be vague to the words of "YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAH". I felt so darn cool, too ._. Only, how many of you are interested in finding out? :) Vote and see what happens.

And if you have any questions at all, you're welcome to PM me, or, even better! I posted my AIM SN on my profile, so you're totally welcome to message me and talk. In fact, I'd love it. Hint, hint, yo?

So.

/giggle

See you in next chapter! x))

PS: Did you know it takes up to 3 hours to proof-read a 15000-word chapter?

PPS: I proof-read it twice.

_In next chapter, the poetic end, the crucial words, the remembrance… And once more, the history of Sasuke and Naruto just twists around. _

**Rating:** PG-13 for themes, blood, swearwords (most of which have yet to make an appearance).

**Summary:** At twenty two, Naruto has achieved all; a Hokage at last, a man respected and loved, he rules his nation with compassion and understanding, bringing together lost families and friends, and disposing of those that dare oppose his peace. And Sasuke ever-so-faithfully stands by his side, an unchanging status for almost six years, and after these six years, people, villagers, their teachers and friends finally start to ask: "What is happening between Naruto and Sasuke?"

**Setting:** Six years after the Fourth Ninja War, so all ages have been changed accordingly. Naruto is the Hokage, but how exactly he achieved the status will be revealed step-by-step, along with many other details related to the "rookie nine" and all other characters.

**Warning:** There will be no OCs, only, perhaps, some OOCness which I'm partial to as anyone else, so that's excusable. Don't go around calling this yaoi, as Sole isn't yaoi, it merely contains strong _shounen-ai _hints. The purpose of this story is not to indulge anyone's perverse fantasies involving Sasuke and Naruto, but to elaborate further on the complex relationship they share as demonstrated in both manga and anime. With that said, I **love** the pairing, but I'm not promising anything. _Story will contain basic Japanese honorifics._

Thanks for reading. Remember to R&R! x)

If you have any questions, add them in a review or message me personally :)


	9. Chapter 8

Sole_I_Alfa

Chapter_eight__Re_s**o**lve

_Re_l**i**sh, for ignorance disappears ere long.

_Re_gr**e**t, what's _b_een here all along.

_Re_c**a**ll, what it felt like n_o_t to know.

_Re_p**e**nt, for the sin of tomorrow.

_Re_m**e**mber, fall has only beg_u_n.

_Re_fl**e**ct, on what needs to be do_n_e.

_Re_b**o**rn, be your I.

_Re_s**o**lve, as the en_d_ is nigh.

Too fast.

The yellow flash. Too fast.

Too fast it unfolded. No human eye could have kept up.

He went in.

And their bodies danced.

The outlines of Naruto's figure shrouded in the poetry of the shadows blurred, responding immediately to Sasuke's who moved from the unconscious woman, who dodged the fist swung at him just in time, but who failed to notice, all in folly, the chakra gathered around it that, obedient, followed his movements, until Sasuke lost his footing, grazed by its enormous and unnatural flow, toppling backwards, losing control-

He could see the shock in the blue eyes-

Sasuke flipped back and landed on his feet, skidding across the floor and ending inches from the wall.

Then at last the time caught up with them and the glass fragment cluttered loudly onto the floor, the window effectively ruined, the moon in full force welcoming the inhabitants of the attic, the air – still, as always in their presence, sizzling with-

-Shikamaru and Neji stopped at the threshold.

Naruto's face had to have looked beautiful under the moonlight, and with some glass pieces still falling, with all of those whooshing right by him, patterns of light – almost like the stars from above gathered on his face – danced over his skin. Those pooled by his feet paved a new path for him to walk on, like rose petals, sharp and lethal, exactly as the man himself.

Naruto would have looked beautiful, with all that much and more, because in the fierceness of his eyes lay all that devoted I, but each glass fragment to rattle past, with each to sprinkle the floor, one part of him withered away, never ever to come back, never ever – beckoned once more to enter into this existence.

Caught up with the events at last, Sakura's body hit the ground.

On Sasuke's left sleeve, a red mark formed, blood seeping through, infecting the white material close.

On Naruto's face, the mask of utter resolve slipping, a crack slowly spreading through it, revealing the real I under.

On the ground, the lulling sleeping of the young kunoichi, suggesting to the onlooker she may have just fallen asleep on an accident and not bothered with looking for more of an appropriate place to lay down.

Such a beautiful story – that transpired in no more than a second or two.

Realizing this, Naruto gasped. "Sasuke you're-"-injured and you injured too-"crazy why… Did you try to betray me?"

Sasuke straightened himself out, contemplation in each move. "Did I?"

"Answer me."

"Hn."

Naruto growled, throwing his arms around and letting the anger contort his features. "Why the hell did you hurt Sakura? Are you insane? What-I can't even… Goddamn it, Sasuke, why would you do that to her?"

Sasuke's eyes landed on the two behind them.

"Brought company, I see. Replacing me with such ease, Naruto?" malicious, his voice, as it bit through the air, transcending all the aforementioned, predicted and cursed serendipity.

Naruto glowered at him, hands balled into fists. "What the hell are you saying, Sasuke? You know I'd never-"

"Did you know Iruka's back?"

Never-what?

Oh… Oh… He laughed. Thrilled. "Back?" But then scared. "But-"

It was all Sasuke needed.

"Heh. Replaced indeed," he said, head lowered, expression obscured by the dark strands in his face. "Go get her, Naruto. Go do it. She needs you, after all."

Naruto flinched – a sign. Of weakness? But he did so regardless, bare feet leading him across the room, stepping onto the shards, the shards stepping back, cutting through the skin and creating deep wounds that knitted together shortly after leaving a bloodied trail behind.

He bent down and gathered her body in his hands, but a dead weight was just that – and it dragged him down, knees hitting the floor, her upper body on his lap and the head rolled back in an awkward angle.

"Sakura," he breathed. "I'm sorry…" A strand of hair on her lips. He brushed it back.

And Sasuke snapped. "Enjoy her company while you can, Naruto. As tomorrow, she might not want to look at you again."

Naruto's hand stalled. "_What?_ You told her?"

"Told." Cruelly, Sasuke's lips curled into a smirk. "I did no such thing. I did much better. I showed her." His Sharingan activated at once, fingers pulling at the flesh on his face, fingers digging into the skin, leaving crescent-shaped scars behind. "I solved it all for you, Naruto. _All for you_."

Naruto's hold on Sakura tightened. He stood up, the body carried bridal style, and turned to Sasuke, as if the sight of Sakura's unconscious form could invoke any feelings similar to regret inside him.

It couldn't.

Not in this life.

"Really."

That… _Bastard._

Naruto's eyes narrowed, resembling slits.

All blood inside him boiled, madly infuriated, and his fingers dug into Sakura's flesh, bruising it – then ceasing as he realized it, yet then the fingers would twitch here and there, to portray with meticulous perfection what thought currently heaved down on his mind.

What Naruto, at that moment, wanted to do.

"Oh, let me show my gratitude for that, Sasuke. Let me just do that," he hissed through clenched teeth, the words barely audible as in the lowest undertones of his voice a deep, carnal growl was carried. "Neji, do me a favor… Go call everyone. Tell them all you know."

Sasuke's brows furrowed. "What the hell are you doing, Naruto?"

Neji's voice from the doorstep sounded confused. "Naruto…? Are you sure, this is-"

"Naruto, don't do anything you might regret. Don't be brash," added Shikamaru immediately afterwards, words slurred in a hurry to save the situation, and Sasuke's eyes landed on the two in a highly conceited fashion, suggesting they were just two irritable mosquitoes he'd love to squish under his shoe, and he would have said it-but Naruto decided to act the Hokage.

"_Do it." _

Like a dagger his voice cut through all, embedding itself into their minds, forcibly bringing all focus on him and no-one but him.

All stilled.

All life, in or out, listened.

Naruto's eyes were the tell-tale, the castle in the sky, the city of sand, the mystery of all the stellar, all the heavenly, set in the face, blazing cold and daring – anyone, anything, to act on any suicidal tendencies and _say no to him._

"_Aa_, you heard me. Go tell everyone. There's no point in keeping a secret, right, Sasuke? 'Sides, it's not that much of one, isn't it? Oh, yeah. I think everyone deserves to know. After all, they've only been trying to find out for the past few years, isn't that right, _mina-san_? _Don't._" Coldly, he bit, the protests denying in Shikamaru's throat. Naruto eyed him from the corner of his eyes, just barely acknowledging the stunned embroiled look, before smirking as if he couldn't have cared. "Right. I knew. Honestly, this is my village, did you think I'd not notice? Fine, so you think me stupid. Go on."

Angered by that claim, Neji pushed past Shikamaru. "Naruto, we don't-"

"Keep it. And go do as I told you. Shikamaru, you come with me, we're taking Sakura to my place. Sasuke…" He turned around and made his way to the doorstep, Sakura's body firmly held to his heart, the head rolling back and forth, limp, until he lifted a hand to press it against his chest. Then, Sakura looked to be fast asleep.

Naruto's gaze softened.

"You, Sasuke… go do whatever it is that you do. This was the last time you attacked someone close to me. Don't ever do it again."

Sasuke shifted. And moved in his direction. Naruto could sense it. And, also, he knew the man inside out; all his actions had been foretold seconds prior to him ever considering acting, and thus Naruto also knew – and could have bet his life on – that as he did not look at the man and rather walked on, as Neji and Shikamaru both attended to their respective tasks and as Sasuke was left to stand in the middle of the room where both his parents were slain, only the sight of his back slowly fading into the darkness to keep him company-

-that he'd broken his promise.

Fighting back the urge to stop and comfort the sole man instead, Naruto left the moon-basked room, the silvery-skinned man, the red, accusatory eyes.

And left him.

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

_Out of the blue, Naruto's overjoyed squeal echoed around. From around the nearby trees, loud cricketing sounds were heard, then an annoyed chirping before the birds were seen leaving irritably their nests, having had enough of the young man's ecstatic nature._

_Naruto jumped up and down. His hand slithered around Sasuke's, yanking at the man in an unknown direction, leaving the main road and dragging them between the tall, ever-green trees._

"_Sasuke!" he bellowed, grinning broadly – a signature gesture of his that didn't disappear even when they stopped to stand at the outskirt of a large meadow overlooking the small, valley-grown village a dangerous distance down the steep cliff._

_Sasuke's dark eyes landed on Naruto's figure, a loud and clear question hidden in them. "I suppose you had a reason for taking me here?"_

_Naruto's grin widened. Their warmth separated as Naruto's hand released Sasuke and, much like a child, he skipped towards the edge of the meadow, only a distance of mere, precarious inches separating him from meeting his final demise at the bottom of the valley._

_But he didn't care, eyes directed at the sky – at the sky colored like rainbow, from golden to crimson, purple to blue, all mixed together to bath the country beneath its cloud-less form in pleasant, early summer aroma, in the light that brought all to life until the grass underneath their feet could have been dancing, the leaves, rustling-singing, all creating the melody of life._

_Drunken on that, in a stupor of mindless frenzy, Naruto outstretched his arms, eyes falling back and close, body tipped forward, a breathless smile on his face-and not even Sasuke's flabbergasted yelp disturbed him, even when the dark-haired male's hand snaked around his waist to pull him back before, drawn to his early death, he fell._

"_Fool. What the hell are you doing, Naruto?" Sasuke hissed._

_Naruto looked at him, nonchalant. Sasuke pulled away, hands crossed over chest, a posture assumed that said "please not to bother with me for your trivial matters", but… Come on?_

_Wickedly, Naruto smiled. "Sasuke, you're such a prude! Come, let's lay down."_

"_Excuse me?"_

_But he had not the time._

_Naruto's body lost the ground under its weight, peeled off it to tackle the genuinely astonished partner in crime, to feel the wind impact with the sun-kissed skin, the blond, wispy hair and to make the laughter echo around as Sasuke's balance failed and sent them both flying onto the grassy ground._

_Sasuke let out a groan of displeasure, shoving Naruto off him and glaring daggers. "Naruto, please, tell me you had a reason."_

_Naruto's smile, truly breathless, was the answer. He laughed some more and laid comfortably on his back, making this sunny meadow his home for the time being, relishing greatly in the serenity it had to offer, body sprawled out all across it and the smell of fresh grass invading his nostrils, lulling him to sleep._

"_Ne, Sasuke… Doesn't this feel great?"_

"_This?" repeated Sasuke dully._

"_Sunset, grass, summer, that kind of thing. Come on, it's great."_

"… _You have got to be kidding me. Instead of getting back to Konoha from our mission – that we, by the way, should have reported from days ago, a courtesy of one very forgetful so-called ninja, wouldn't you know, Naruto? –, you drag me here to… get a tan."_

_Naruto scoffed, lower lip curled over the upper comically. "We're not here to get a tan. I mean, jeez, Sasuke, you can be such a spoilsport."_

"_And you're a fool. We're wasting our time," replied Sasuke, still as sour._

_Naruto's pout grew exaggerated, heavily pronounced as the brows knitted together deeply to form a terrible arch over his eyes. "Che, Sasuke, stop being such a pussy. 'Sides, you don't really want to go back to Konoha, so sup?"_

_Sasuke rolled his eyes. "So you assume I'd rather waste precious hours of my time here? Grow up, Naruto."_

_Naruto frowned. _

_But, really, that didn't last much._

_A few seconds? Barely._

_After all, if Sasuke hated lying in the grass so much, how come he'd not stood up yet? Oh, that shrewd bastard. Naruto snickered and shifted his body, laying on the side, hands clasped in front, bum wiggling, brows waggling._

"_Oh, Sasuke-kun, don't tell me Sasuke-kun is missing the fangirls. Oooh, Sasuke-kun, kyah? Nyu," he cooed in a high-pitched, sugary voice._

_Sasuke's eyes widened, shocked and possibly horrified, piercing through Naruto's. "What the… stop it," he ordered._

_Naruto inched closer, fingertips holding onto Sasuke's sleeve, wrinkling it between. "Oh, Sasuke-kun! You're just missing the fangirls. Sasuke-kun, this is soo cu~te of Sasuke-kun!"_

"_Naruto, stop it." Now his brows was twitching._

_Win._

"_Ne, ne, Sasuke-ku~n, we love you, we need you, kyah. Sasuke-kun, come here for a kiss!" Naruto puckered his lips. "Come here. Sasuke-kun!"_

"_Naruto, damn it! Stop it. Now."_

"_Kyah, don't threaten me?" He fluttered his eyelashes, ignoring Sasuke's indignant look. "Sasuke-kun, come love us! Come make love to-EEK-_what the hell_." Startled, Naruto clamped a hand over his mouth, assuming the role of the horrified one for a change with shock, as his voice had cracked towards the end of the sentence, actually worse than high-pitched – a pitch above the human ear tolerance –, making the voice sound like it belonged to a pre-high school love-struck girl with nothing else on her mind but her own sick fantasies revolving around her idol, all-laugh._

_Naruto's eyes widened, staring at rare sight of smile on Sasuke's handsome face, ears focused on the rich sound emitted from his throat, on the shaking of his shoulders and the wrinkles step-by-step erased from his face._

"_You asshole, stop laughing at me," breathed Naruto._

"_That's what you get for being obnoxious," snickered Sasuke._

_And looked through him._

_Naruto's breath hitched in his throat._

_Staring at him, with the coal-black eyes, the pitch black shade receding in the favor of amusement and something else, the wind as it ruffled with his hair wreaking havoc in Naruto's mind._

_At last, Sasuke stopped laughing, the face perpetually marred by the laws of physics and unbidden interest._

_And neither spoke a word._

_Maybe it was curiosity on Naruto's part, he couldn't have explained it any other way, but he did not budge at all when Sasuke leaned closer, when the tips of their noses briefly touched and he realized he could count each and every lash adorning the man's eyes, when Sasuke's stare turned too vicious for him to hold and too strong for him to fight, when-_

_-he got so near Naruto realized a few thin strands of hair, so few in number they might as well have been a figment of his imagination, had fallen to caress with dignity unabridged the skin of velvet stretched over Sasuke's left cheek. _

_Then Naruto's eyes closed-_

_And his hands shot out, pressed flat against Sasuke's chest and pushing him away with a thundering yell of "what the hell". _

"_Sasuke! The hell-ew! EW EW EW EW EW! You were going to-damn it. What the hell's gotten into yo-UGH."_

_Sasuke's body impacted with his, a sharp strangled moan escaping past Naruto's parted lips as the shock rocked through him, the body impartial to the current feelings of loathing and yearning waging a never-ending war in Naruto's mind._

"_What? I thought you wanted me to love you, Naruto-chan," drawled Sasuke in the mellifluous tone of voice Naruto never knew he possessed, eliciting an undignified yell as Naruto discarded all self-respect and flailed._

"_What?" he screeched. "No! Come on, I was just joking. Sasuke, get off me!" _

_Oh, god. He was so-that was so embarrassing…_

_Naruto's face turned beetroot, the deep shade of red daring even to invade his ears._

_Sasuke smirked. "Aw, Naru-chan, you wound me."_

"_N… Naru-chan," repeated Naruto, horrified. "Did you just…" He peered up at Sasuke. "Did you just call me Naru-chan?"_

"_Don't tell me you didn't enjoy that, my dearest Naru-chan," cooed Sasuke back, the voice ridiculously saccharine._

_Naruto fidgeted, attempting to free himself, but just then Sasuke stopped him, pinning his floundering hands above his head and leaning way, way too close…_

"_Did you?"_

_Naruto swallowed and attempted a laugh that came out awkward. "Okay, okay, you win, now let me go."_

"_No."_

"_Oh, phew, I was li-_what_?"_

"_You heard me." _

_Naruto stared. "… Sasuke, this isn't fun."_

_Sasuke shrugged. "To me it is."_

"_Oh, yeah, totally enjoying yourself, aren't you? You power-hungry asshole."_

"_Heh." Sasuke's smirk re-appeared, daunting. "Worried, Naruto?"_

"_Nah. Totally not. I mean, worried about what exactly? Oh, pfft, I'm totally cool. Like, honest."_

"_I can see that." Cutely, Sasuke cocked his head to the side. "So who loves it now?"_

_Glaring, Naruto bristled. "Gah. Just stop it, alright? Just let me go."_

_Sasuke snickered. "Heh. Look at you. So flustered you are."_

"_I am NOT flustered. Just so you know."_

"_Right, and that's why you're blushing like a girl. Oh, Naru-chan, could you be a member of my fanclub? Reckon you took me here just to have a little bit of the lovey-dovey moment with me, right?"_

"_I think I might throw up," moaned Naruto._

_Sasuke managed an even more amused look. "Seriously, Naruto, if you wanted to, you could have freed yourself a long time ago. After all, aren't you a big boy? And a ninja, too. So how come you're still just laying here like you're honestly waiting for me to, oh, how was it… right… Make love to-"_

"_AH!"_

_That asshole._

_This is war._

_Naruto wrestled Sasuke back, a collision of their bodies sending them rolling on the grass and cutting Sasuke's horrendous claim off._

"_Teme, you're mine."_

"_Heh, pig."_

"_Oh godda-damn you, TEME!"_

_With a war cry, Naruto threw himself on the man, fighting and bickering and slapping and kicking like a child, never minding his obvious ninja abilities or the fact they could have fought for real instead of this childish charade, but it was oddly fun, oddly exhilarating and the heart pumped the blood faster than it ought to have, making the blush deepen, the eyes widen, the thoughts curve and skyrocket elsewhere to heights uncharted._

_And the cussing each other out…_

_Gods._

"_Bastard."_

"_Loser."_

"_Teme."_

"_Dead last."_

"_Eh-? You-"_

"_Illiterate."_

"_I CAN READ!"_

"_Loud…"_

"_Ugh!"_

"_Heh…"_

"_Don't you dare laugh at me-!"_

_He fell on top of Sasuke, hands fisted around his clothing, but Sasuke switched them over, landing on Naruto-_

_-so perfect. So much-_

_-mirthful, his laugh._

"_Bitch!" Last try._

_Sasuke's hands froze, no longer trying to tangle Naruto's off him, and his dark, stoic eyes found Naruto's._

"_Bitch… Seriously?"_

_Naruto's sage nod – and determined look – prompted the curious quirking of eyebrows._

_Sasuke leaned back, Naruto's hand automatically falling off to land by either side of his head, and offered Naruto a soothing, gentle smile. "I'm not a bitch. But you, Naruto, you can call me God. Your God."_

… _Oh no._

_Deadpan, Naruto crossed his hands into an X. "No can't do."_

_Sasuke closed his eyes. "Fool."_

_Naruto stared and wriggled-Sasuke's head sharply whipped to the side, a shocked sensation going up his spine-_

_Confused, Naruto blinked. "What?"_

_Sasuke sighed. "Nothing." And moved off him, lying onto the grass right next to Naruto, close enough that still Naruto could feel the man's overpowering heat drunkenly contaminate his, an injection of yearning once more into his bloodstream._

_Surprisingly enough, a moment later Sasuke's dulcet tones filtered in the air. "Is it really ew?"_

_A moment it took Naruto to realize what Sasuke was talking about, yet when it did he found himself wishing it'd not. Awkward, he shrugged and put his hands behind his head, staring at the sky above, at the blue tinted dark._

"_Why ask?"_

"_Is it?"_

"_Eh… I don't know," he said, frowning and opting for ignorance; no Sasuke next to him, no nothing and no-one. Alone he was in this world, alone at last, with no bothersome questions to invade his mind and taint his privacy, no unusual fragments of thoughts to leave a disarrayed path behind, no dubious doubtful doubts of distorted dimmed damned one, that one ever so present in his heart._

"_Why does it matter to you?" he asked after a moment of silence, forcibly dragging himself back to the reality._

_Sasuke retained all past memories of himself "It doesn't."And carried them on tip-toes to his voice._

_Naruto detested it._

_That silent pointing of fingers._

_That unspoken question of – why._

_He detested it._

_Detested._

_Buckling underneath the pressure, giving into, caving… "Then why ask?"_

"_Curious, that's all."_

_A deep frown contorted Naruto's features. "Really. Hmp."_

"_Really."_

"_Fine."_

_But it couldn't last._

_One, two, three… He wanted to get to ten at least, ten seconds during which he'd remain firmly persuaded of his right, but barely he'd reached four, when he was sitting up abruptly, a reproachful look sent in Sasuke's direction – who had the balls to muster up a look of surprise –, huffing and pouting in his mind because this was sending all sorts of signals to all the wrong parts of his mind, taunting him, perhaps, with its ingenious, meticulous precision with which all defenses fell prey without a moment's of notice, without-a second for struggle._

"_Ugh!" And an elaborate his groan, rather self-explanatory, pretty much as the vivid shade of red on the face of his, bringing out the vivacious eyes, the light energy bubbling beneath the mask, the flustering, deeply ashamed I, the-_

_-and then Naruto was leaning in and kissing him._

_His lips touched Sasuke's in a firm, firm kiss._

_And Naruto tried to tell himself it was just that. Firm. Not soft. Not right. Not right at all. That the temptation to close his eyes didn't exist._

_But if it didn't exist, why did looking directly into Sasuke's eyes made him wish it did?_

_It did._

_In so many rueful, unadulterated ways._

_Resembling a tomato, he pulled back, arms crossed over his chest, looking everywhere but at Sasuke._

"_See? Not ew."_

_Sasuke didn't reply._

_Disconcerting._

_He gulped, nervous and contemplated looking back at him, but no, no, that was just plain wrong – what if Sasuke had only been teasing him and looked green in the face now, fixing to throw up? That-Naruto shuddered._

_But… Well._

_Only one way to find out._

_Begrudgingly, Naruto directed his eyes back at Sasuke, to see-the unfamiliar sensation swirling in the dark hues that constricted Naruto with unimaginable force._

"_What?" he managed out._

"_Nothing…"_

_Naruto hissed like a cat. "What?"_

_For a few more honestly uncomfortable moments, Sasuke did only the looking, that intent staring, the muted depicting of a story, before-_

"_Fool."_

_A loving caress of the dulcet tones. _

_Sasuke's hands rose from the ground, slinking around Naruto's shoulders, bringing him down, bringing him close, bringing him too close, bringing him there-_

_Naruto's eyes widened into the size of saucers, breath and all rational, coherent thought lost on him-_

_And Sasuke's eyes would look only in his, seeing no-one and nothing else._

_Wrong._

_Wrong._

_WRONG._

_NO!_

_And right._

_Right._

_Becoming. _

_He didn't fight._

_Didn't stop._

_Moments later, it was over. Sasuke's fingers trailed up to be tangled in his blond hair and Naruto found himself looking at Sasuke's chest, forehead pressed against the man's collarbone, each and every breath Sasuke took resonating inside him._

What was it all about… So… I… Can't even…

_A tingling sensation._

_Naruto sighed. "Sasuke… you're such a weirdo."_

"_Maybe."_

_Not a word._

_A second or two later, Sasuke spoke up. "Ew?"_

"… _Meh. I don't know… Kind of… Dunno."_

_Released, he rolled back, but found it imperative that somehow their bodies remain together, the contact untouched, and thus, after a moment, he found himself laying on his back, head on Sasuke's chest, the breathing magical, their bodies creating the letter T amidst the unlimited greens of land._

_A deep, heavy sigh rolled from Naruto's lips. Again, he found himself looking up at the sky. "Damn," he breathed out. "The sun's almost gone."_

"_Hn."_

"_Baa-chan's gonna have our heads on a silver plate."_

"_Your fault, of course."_

"_Maybe. But you followed, didn't you? He~h," he taunted, hands above his head, idly standing there and waving from side to side out of pure, unfiltered boredom – or the lack of experience. "Who's the big boy now? And the ninja? Damn, Sasuke, could have fought me off any time."_

"_Che."_

_Naruto felt rather than saw the contented smile on Sasuke's face, before the man's hand absently rested between Naruto's golden tresses._

_An inhumanly soothing experience._

"_Don't worry, I'll protect you from baa-chan."_

"_Don't be ridiculous, you can barely protect yourself."_

"_And the hell you're talking about now?"_

"_I mean the-"_

"_Oh, no, you don't. How could I have known that girl would attack me? I mean, come on! She was this small-"- the space between his hands reduced-"-and so~ cute. I had no idea she was carrying a kunai," muttered Naruto under his breath, scrutinizing the space between the hands, as if the girl in question had materialized there in the meantime to remind him of his recent failure involving a nasty literal kick in the teeth and a broken thumb. "Oh, whatever." He paused, fuming for a few, before shrugging. "But I mean. Baa-chan's always on your ass about being late with reports."_

"_Not my fault I keep getting stuck with you." _

"_Pfft."_

_His mind reeled._

"_Sasuke…"_

"_What now?" Still, the man's hand would twiddle through the hair._

_Naruto, involuntary, shivered. "Do you want to come back to Konoha?"_

_The hand paused. "… What?"_

_His eyes of the sky blue sky closed. "I just keep thinking and… Eh… Sasuke, it hurts." A hand over his heart. "Here."_

_Sasuke drew in a sharp intake of breath. "You fool, if you keep thinking such things…"_

"_I know, I know… But… I can't help but think…"_

"_Konoha is our home." Determined. Focused. Cool, calm and collected, the typical Uchiha Sasuke._

_Naruto found himself smiling."Yeah, I guess so… But sometimes I can't help but think… Kind of weird, that's all… But maybe…"_

"_Maybe what?"_

"… _Ne, Sasuke?"_

_A sigh. "What is it, Naruto?"_

"_If we weren't bound by the seal, would we still be together? Like this?"_

"… _Idiot, you could have told me you just wanted to talk."_

"_Che." Naruto pouted. "What does it-"_

"_I do."_

"_Eh?"_

_Sasuke let out a disgruntled moan. "I do. I do believe we would. And don't think of it. We'll go back to Konoha. And smile."_

"_You hate it, though."_

"_No matter. As long as I'm with you…"_

_Doubt._

_Naruto's smile wavered, then vanished. "You'll never leave me, right?"_

"_No."_

"_Eh…"_

"… _Never. Just as you will never leave me. Never turn your back to me."_

"_And you to me."_

_Sasuke's hand slid to rest on Naruto's forehead. "Never to see your back."_

"_No."_

"_It's a promise."_

"_It is."_

_Sasuke probably smiled. "Of a lifetime?"_

_Naruto probably laughed. "Yeah, sure. A promise of a lifetime. Another. But not blood-bound, this one. So we'd never leave each other behind."_

"_I hope…" Sasuke trailed off._

_Naruto didn't finish the sentence._

_Both, instead of speaking, looked towards the darkening sky._

_Scared out of their minds._

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

From the far side of the room, Shikamaru's shaky voice called. "It's over. They know."

Naruto's body went rigid; his hold on the curtain tightened, the knuckles turning white as the blood flow was effectively cut off, and he clenched his teeth, all muscles aching hard, eyes unfocused and the image of the night-swept Konoha blurred, mutated and then gone.

"Oh…" He swallowed, hard, a great lump on his throat, the action a hindrance. "I see…" He lowered his eyes. "How… did they react?"

"… Astonished, mostly, I think. Iruka wants to see you."

"And the others?"

"They need time, Naruto."

"Okay."

"… It's going to be fine, Naruto."

Shikamaru was standing directly behind him.

Naruto turned around to meet the man's unfaltering loyalty. Somehow, he managed a bitter smile. "Thank you."

Silent, the man nodded, the eyes falling instinctively on Sakura's form, seeing her move and stir. "She's waking up."

"Huh… Okay."

"Are you sure you can handle this?"

"Yeah…"

"Are you?"

Naruto grimaced. "No. Could you leave us? I need to talk to her alone."

He didn't notice when the door snapped close.

Without further ado, but still dragging the body there by sheer force, Naruto walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge and awaiting the moment when her eyes would flutter open and in them she'd convey the putrid, catty loathing she felt for him, kept low only because in the state of confusion there was little of the usual steam she could gather and launch at him.

And in a few seconds, open they did, the lids responding to the need to awake at last, recognition dazedly filling her eyes, reality dawning in until moments later they fell on Naruto's grim face and grew so, so impossibly and frighteningly wide.

Sakura's back arched off the bed and she clamped a hand over her mouth, tears gathering at corners of her eyes.

In a meek, terror-filled voice, she cried. _"Naruto. Oh, god."_

Naruto's eyes closed. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan."

"Naruto… Oh god. Why. Why… _Why_," she gasped out, a single tear running down her cheek. A cough was heard and she pushed herself into a sitting position, Naruto's hands automatically rising to support her – but freezing mid-way, hanging awkwardly an inch or two from her body, motionless due to fear.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan…"

She hiccoughed. Wiped the tear off and hid her face in her hands, remaining in that position for way too long for Naruto's comfort, way too long for the conscience to survive.

"Sakura-chan…."

Or maybe too short?

Way too short.

"How could you!" Her hysterical cry echoed around. "How could you NOT tell me?" The hands removed, he was awarded with a detailed sight of her implicitly wrathful and explicitly hurt expression, both taking turns in completely possessing the facial features for a while, before subsiding in the favor of the other.

Naruto flinched. "I'm sorry…"

"Sorry? Sorry…" She scoffed through tears. "Naruto… I thought we were friends. I thought… We were more than just friends._ Nakama_."

She shook her head sharply, strands of hair whipping about. "And you go and keep this… this a secret for such a long time. Why? Naruto… Tell me."

Naruto averted his eyes. "I don't know."

"Oh, _please._ Please… Just stop treating me like a child. And stop lying. Tell me the truth."

It wasn't an order in her voice, but a remorseful, tear-stained plea. That, as he knew, he could not disregard. Not even in his wildest dreams.

But his heart hurt.

Not the seal heaving him down, but his own, folly, his own assumptions all wrong – that one day he'd come out and announce to all the happenings of that murky, dread-laced dream that had bound him forever to Sasuke, or at least for as long as they kept their end of the bargain.

That one day, everything would go back to normal.

Naruto's voice filled the air. "I was… afraid. It was simple at first. I agreed to the deal, because… because I saw my chance. Sasuke was offering to stay… To ensure the safety of the village. And I took it because I honestly couldn't let him leave. It was alright at first, but things got… complicated…"

"You mean… Sasuke was pushed down on you," added Sakura.

He frowned. "Yeah. At first, they wouldn't let me see him, saying I was a liability, but then they told me he was my responsibility and I'd need to make sure he didn't wind up returning to his old ways, as they put it. We spent a lot of time with each other… Kind of awkward at first, really awkward…"

Sakura lifted her knees to her chest, listening closely, forsaking any more expressive tearing up. "What… do you mean?"

Naruto's frown deepened, the ground below offering little comfort to his raging thoughts and the chaotic state of mind. But she needed to know and even if the memories of back then weren't all roses and sunshine, not as most foolishly assumed based on the wordless exchanges seen now, he'd shun away the discomfort he felt and keep talking.

"Sakura-chan… Look, Sasuke and I… At first, when he was released, we weren't happy. Being stuck with each other felt a bit like… Constantly having that one mistake rubbed in our faces. To him, it was about failing to exact his revenge successfully and encountering me as the obstacle… To me, it was about… All that Konoha did to him. About not being to save him right away… And we met on that battlefield that day and yeah, sure, we made the deal, and for many months to follow until Sasuke's release I'd keep returning to him in my thoughts, even if I didn't want to or didn't understand why, like something was… compelling me to, like… I don't know, like just something was there… or wasn't… Point being."

He cleared his throat.

"We didn't know what to do. We understood what was happening. They didn't trust Sasuke and because I'd died to get him back, it was my duty to keep him here. Like they were doing me a favor by not executing him, and still treating me an obstacle by expecting to see me fail… And we, well… We were sent on missions together… I mean. When he was released, I really was kind of happy, you know? Like… It felt like, when I saw him again, that I was… Complete."

He remembered.

When Sasuke had stepped out. Worn-out. But proud. The Uchiha pride of his constantly attached to his being.

And he'd felt his heart skip and call out to him, felt himself walk towards the man and seen the man do the same, until they'd met mid-way and stared each other down, all the while Naruto's heart had done the knowing thump-thump, thump-thump, and filled him with ecstasy.

All the while Sasuke's eyes wouldn't leave his, wide, beseeching.

And only his.

"Just… It was difficult. I couldn't really go on missions with you guys, because you weren't trusted or something… Eventually, well. I didn't handle it well, I think. And Sasuke knew it. And he acted like I hated him. And I acted like he hated me. Hah… Actually, now that I think about it… We were kind of total idiots." Despite himself, he laughed. "In hindsight, it was good old times. We bickered a lot. On every mission. Sasuke would tell me I completely sucked and how he couldn't believe I'd defeated him… and I couldn't believe he was saying it, when I'd died. But apparently, to him, it was defeat… Something about not wiping the floor with me. Stupid Sasuke. But, you know, after a while he'd get aggravated enough that he'd pull me aside and tell me I needed to train before going on that mission or that he was bored and had no-one else to spar with. So we'd spar. A lot. And train. Together. He kept saying I had nothing to teach him. Still his eyes would light up like stars whenever I used Rasengan."

Naruto finally looked at Sakura.

Sakura's arms were around her knees, hands meeting in the front and fingers intertwining, while her eyes had dried up and the cheeks paled somewhat, no longer resembling someone with one hand on the other side and just generally there was none of that fearsome loathing lodged in her eyes as he'd thought, bringing a sensation akin to peace to his mind.

Soothed somewhat, he offered her a wan smile and continued. "It got better. Maybe what happened back then helped. And Sasuke he… calmed down… And I stopped acting like I didn't enjoy his company. 'Cause, you know, I did! I really did. I was so freaking happy to have him back and when things calmed down a little, I thanked him, for being here, with me… And he smiled and things changed. For good. But they changed a bit too much and a bit too suddenly. At first, when we were still on pins and needles, I'd think constantly of telling you guys and only thought to wait a little to have the situation calm down, so you wouldn't over-react or something, but then I just couldn't… I just couldn't."

There, his voice dropped.

"There were days when I couldn't tell if my thoughts were mine or Sasuke's. When I'd have a panic attack just because Sasuke was elsewhere doing something, or because I'd gone out with you guys and Sasuke didn't want to come along. Like remember the times when I'd hang out with you and act like such a spoilsport and leave early? When you'd ask me what was up and I'd tell you I had to check up on Sasuke. You always thought he was controlling me. In reality, he never was… But still, I remember, whenever I came back early, Sasuke was waiting there, and he looked… Grateful. Really grateful… That's how it got complicated. Suddenly, I realized, I didn't know how to explain it to you, what exactly to say. And Sasuke, instead of helping, would always just…" He coughed, as if choking, and pink tinted his cheeks, the eyes sheepishly glued to his fingers. "Embrace me and tell me it was alright, and I never, ah, stopped him…"

Sakura's eyes widened.

"Did you two…?"

"What?"

She grimaced. "Ah, nothing, I mean…"

"Oh, well." Naruto shrugged, uncomprehending but leaving it at that. "That's kind of how it rolled. We just reached a point where I didn't even know what to tell you. Or how. And I was afraid that if I started at the beginning and shared the whole story, you'd shun Sasuke even more, more than you already did, and try to separate us… I couldn't stand that. Even now, knowing that Sasuke will eventually get back to me keeps me calm. Otherwise, heh…"

"Otherwise?"

She'd have him finish that sentence. So it be. He yielded. "Otherwise… Without him, my end would come."

And she'd have him scared for her as she let out a strangled, guttural noise, looking sick to her stomach. _"The end is nigh."_

"What?"

"Nothing!" She looked at him. "Nothing… It's… Huh…" Anxious and green in face, in such a start contrast with the patches of red from previous bouts of crying still scattered across her face sporadically, she looked close to bidding a temporary farewell to the world. "So…"

"So…" He dismissed it. "So everyone knows now."

"Everyone?"

"Yeah. I had Neji tell them."

"Oh, wow, I mean… That's… I don't know… Is it a wise choice?"

Naruto could only smile. "Who knows, but I had to do it. It had gone on for too long and things were getting ridiculous. Shikamaru tried so hard to keep things for me, Sasuke, too… But I still found out. About the meetings… And when I did, I realized it was time. Yeah, I mean… You all tried so hard. To find out… Maybe, maybe I just need to put trust in you guys and show you there's nothing to fear."

"Nothing, you say?"

"Heh, I know, he attacked you… and Gaara, that girl on a mission ages ago, and that dude like a month ago and he verbally mauled this girl who asked me out and then this old lady who said if she'd been forty years younger, she and I would have been great together, which was ridiculous, because, really, she looked ready to die and he got so…" Fondness. Some memories would always leave a sweet taste in his mouth. "Heh… But… Sasuke, he's just… Well, I actually don't know but kind of nice… Even if. You shouldn't have found out this way. Least of all you, Sakura-chan."

Sakura hung her head. "Yeah. I came to Sasuke to… make him stop hurting you."

"He wasn't-"

"From our point of view he was. You're right. I think it'd have been in our best interest to separate you… Although knowing all this now… I-fine. I made a mistake."

She leaned back, propping herself up on her hands, legs straightening out on the bed. "I wanted to go see him, see for myself, I suppose, but I didn't expect him to do all that… He attacked me. And I couldn't have expected such a reaction… He was so hateful, so angry, so unlike the Sasuke you describe, as if he couldn't even exist outside the world he shares with you."

"Heh…" A thought occurred to him. "It's odd, though, that he attacked you… Just like when he attacked the others."

"Well, I don't know," she began, tentative. "I mean…"

"You don't get me, Sakura-chan."

"Eh?"

"Tell me, Sakura-chan, how much did you see?"

Sakura looked at her feet. "… I… don't know? I saw you do it and you just stared each other and you seemed… connected?"

"Almost everything then," he finished, grim. "Remember the deal? The exact wording?"

"Um, I don't think so, no. I mean, I could try, but I just couldn't believe what I was looking at, so I didn't exactly-"

"That's alright. Point being…" Naruto stood up from the bed, posture tense and eyes downcast as he mulled something over, that one thought completely reigning over his mind. "See, the deal… It's really simple, ain't it?" Pinching the bridge of his nose and subsequently scratching the back of his neck, Naruto spoke those words he'd not shared with a soul since the fiasco with his old teacher.

"If I ever betray the village, ever let a similar misfortunate like the Uchiha one befall it, if I ever rule it with intentions similar to Danzo's, if I never stop caring, ever commit to treachery, the seal inside me will expand, injecting Sasuke's chakra into my veins and poisoning me. And I will die. And Sasuke, should he ever betray me, ever hurt another person and wish to return to his revenge, the seal will break and he will suffer the same fate."

"_What I want the most, Naruto, is that the Uchiha massacre never be repeated. Never such suffering to be spread… If there is no such suffering, there will be more people seeking revenge."_

"But what's he doing now? How come the seal has not punished him? How come he's still… I don't get this. Did he…" Naruto's eyes fell on his hand as he clenched and unclenched it repeatedly. "He can't have, it's impossible… There's no way the seal could have been…"

"The seal… but why?"

"Because, Sakura-chan, the seals…" He couldn't look her in the eye. "We made them while inside me. In my mind when we were connected. Our hearts and souls, when they were one… The seals that Neji saw, their physical manifestation occurs in our hearts, but in reality the seal, the seal," he paused and took a deep, shuddering breath, the air cluttering viciously against his lungs, heart racing in his ribcage, nerves tingling and emotions running amok.

"The seal, Sakura-chan, is on the soul. The seal is my soul."

Sakura's body sank heavily into the bed.

Absently, she stared at a random point in distance.

"Should Sasuke betray you…"

Naruto dismissed it. "He can't. The seal would kill him."

Sakura didn't acknowledge that. "And in turn, losing him would kill you."

This time, Naruto didn't respond.

He didn't know what to tell her. And so distraught she looked. Did the thought of losing him affect her so? Did it-?

"I need to go."

The taste in his mouth turned sour.

"Why?" He seized her up and down, her unresponsive, glassy eyes causing incessant worry, wreaking havoc in his mind, but she stood up from the bed and he noted the color had returned to her cheeks, bringing up the unseeing green hues and the dark shadow cast on her face.

"I-thank you, Naruto," she muttered, voice slurred and she put her hands on his shoulders, holding him in place and looking directly in his eyes. "I do, I mean… I'm glad you told me but I have to go. Think it over. I swear I'll come back, get back to you, I swear I'm not leaving you. I just need to-go and-"-she bit down on her lower lip.

"I get it…" Naruto's brows knitted together. She wasn't telling him something, but as much as it angered him, he thought against the initial desire to force it out, knowing at that very moment, he had not the right to request anything. "Go."

"Thank you." Wobbly on her legs, shaky and uncertain, she marched to the door and-she looked over her shoulder-

-Naruto saw the panic so clearly etched into her eyes, enough his heart would constrict and whisper terrible things to him.

"Sakura-chan, you're…"

It receded. Sakura shook her head. "I'll be back. I'm… not mad at you… I guess I had enough time to think it over while asleep… I swear I'll come back, trust me, but I need to think and, um, talk to others, I guess, so… So…"

She muttered something. Then turned and shut the door behind her.

Naruto's mind drew a blank.

It was hard not to consider that a betrayal, not to instinctively return in his thoughts to Sasuke and seek solace in the man's stoic form, not to immediately shun everyone away and assume this reaction of Sakura's would soon like an infection spread to everyone else – that soon they'd hate him just as she surely did, and it was even harder not sink into depression, not to call out to him – not to go looking for the man, pleading for his presence, for the warmth of his not even Sakura's hands on his shoulders could have offered.

Because right then, her hands had felt cold and unfeeling.

Yet he was sure she as a living and breathing human being felt warm and amiable on touch, with a hearty smile and good-natured mind. He was certain, without a place for doubt, that his Sakura-chan was a vivacious, strong girl.

Warm. Honestly warm.

And still when in her presence, he'd felt nothing remotely amicable or affectionate, only the daunting, dreary touch as if the rocky walls themselves had swept over in an attempt to invoke love.

And failed.

Naruto's eyes fell on his hands, both tanned and seemingly ordinary, focusing on the spots where the skin was the thinnest and where he could see, if he tried hard enough, the veins bulging beneath, the blood coursing through them, heated and alive, all the proofs of normalcy, all that ought to have acted a mental support, but-

A shiver, akin to a shower in freezing water, traversed down his spine.

"What… is wrong with me…?"

_Do you know?_

_Sasuke…_

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

The fondness of memories dared not disappear even after the initial demise; surely they'd last, forever and ever to remind its owner of what had once been and never would repeat itself, as whereas the repetition of history occurred most unpredictably, its repentance did not. Whereas people would often delude themselves into believing what lay ahead could not possibly contain the fondness of the past, still drunk on hopes self-induced, it changed not that what happened in past, would remain there. Never to change, never to repeat itself, a uniqueness of its own, a separate category from everything else, a dismayed existence, a painful reminder worn out by time. And time never stopped. Tick-tock, tick-tock, the gathering of dust, now many layers on top of it, the searching eyes falling upon it every once in a while, all for naught.

Because time, time would never reverse itself, never stop.

Never Team 7 would come back, never the three children, never the taint removed on time, never and ever would he stand to watch above them as they slept and wept, never to turn back the time to the moments when he'd missed the opportunity to relish. Now regret he could, recall the sweet illusion of the past, see it in the smoke forming above but higher than the clouds it traversed, proving its tangibility to be as real and corporeal is the idea of a reflection in a mirror.

Resolve would not waver at all, instead it failed to be born, lodged deep in the make-believe tell-tale of his mind, in the idea of repenting for the sins of the past, for the oblivion and ignorance, and long ago that had disappeared, bringing forth the idea of sinking in despair and lucidity. The audacity of action – dare he oppose the fate, subject himself to the future?

Or dare he, like everyone else, submit himself to knowing they'd been too late to stop it, too late to see?

"_Sasuke killed Naruto. Let me clarify… Naruto. Was dead. Not half-dead. Naruto was dead. Killed by Sasuke's hand… And Sasuke brought him back. He dived into Naruto's mind and only because of him did Naruto's soul not part with the body, only because of Sasuke did he stay. Only because of Sasuke… He killed Naruto. And he saved him. Yet at the same time, I'd say that… He killed him again. Instead of returning Naruto to us, he claimed him fully. No longer is it the Naruto we once knew… This Naruto could never let go of Sasuke. This Naruto, this leader whom we love so dearly, belongs wholly to Sasuke. Because it was Sasuke's hand that took his life and his hand that gave it back…"_

He'd hoped for solution. On popular demand, he'd looked for it everywhere, eventually possessed by such folly he'd consider moving the mountains just to peer up underneath, but the oceans wouldn't part, the mountains move, the sky disperse, the clouds speak.

And in this world, none too wise, even the God himself, was a lost child.

"_They made a deal. While in Naruto's mind, Sasuke saw all. His memories, his needs and desires… And Sasuke chose to use that to enslave Naruto instead of letting him run. Because he saw there a person similarly torn apart by fate and tortured, someone just as pained… He saw himself. He proposed it himself, in a situation when each and every thought was revealed to him, for their minds were connected, for it was Sasuke's mind and soul keeping Naruto's soul there."_

Days and weeks could pass. Years they'd looked. Years, all involved deeply in the matter, in a manner highly accusatory and all Sasuke did would be inspected thoroughly and even if their minds drew a blank, even if no answer was conjured up out of nowhere, still the man would be treated a criminal and test subject, yet unknowingly they'd done the exact opposite and achieved the undesired; treated not him but their beloved, fearless leader, a criminal.

A criminal for letting his bond to another human being blinker him so.

"_To ensure the history would not repeat itself, to ensure no more would people suffer like he had… And to forever place Naruto as the leader of Konoha, to forever keep him there. And Naruto was to never call another place his home, never to leave the village, never to… live a life independent of us. Of Sasuke. Always to guard over us – and any moment of doubt, any… any notion would trigger the seal, the seal that Sasuke placed himself, created himself… I wish it were just the heart, just like Neji had seen it. But no, it's never the heart, even if physically it manifests there… It's the soul. The SOUL. The fools, the two of them, bound their very souls to the concept of promise, to their own dream. And Naruto was to protect Konoha until his last moment, with his very mind and soul, and Sasuke was to never hurt anyone again, never to strike, to land a blow, never to commit to it unless it was to protect. Otherwise."_

Goddamn this life.

"_They would die. The souls trashed, the bodies completely ruined, the minds… mutilated. I feel like we're responsible for their bidden and forlorn future."_

Kakashi cursed.

Team 7 was never to return.

But he just yearned it would.

Gai placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing in support, failing to convey. "Kakashi…"

He shrugged the hand off. "I need air to breath." There was that obnoxious murmur of the nearby jounin and maybe they were thinking him to be overemotional, a word that never worked well together with his name in one sentence, but for once he couldn't have bothered with the nuisance, this so-called reputation to keep or people to care about, as an urge beckoned him to leave once and for all the confinements of those settled, almost tucked in the room even hours later, as if there all the problems could be erased.

All issues eradicated.

Kakashi had had enough.

He left and no-one followed.

Outside he stood, most of the Konoha preparing for sleep, yet another sunset, yet another boredom, more of that unlimited helplessness.

He walked.

People passed by him, faceless, unfamiliar.

He walked.

A lot he'd thought. Too much he'd thought.

Too much.

About Team 7.

Team.

Ex… team… long gone. And there could have been that slim chance, that shimmering hope for re-union, but that was a lie.

It had always been a lie.

Because Team 7 no longer existed.

"Kakashi, are you-"

_Pain._

That was what Kakashi noticed first. Then the blood gathering at his knuckles, running down the clenched fist, leaving a bloodied trail on the wall he'd punched.

Behind him, Gai released a soft sigh. "Kakashi… I know you're not handling it well-"

"You know nothing," he growled, hissed or said, who really knew – controlling the tone of his voice was like putting a blanket ever the sun in an attempt to hide the burned land from its deadly touch.

Gai probably frowned. "I understand, I did not lose my team, not like you."

At that, Kakashi wanted to scoff and congratulate him for stating the obvious, but he couldn't bring himself to become that kind of a person. Instead his hand left the wall and the few nearby villagers to notice the sudden outburst of anger scampered off to cater to their whimsical business, leaving Kakashi to dully mull over his uncharacteristic anger, over the emotions.

Over the grave disappointment.

_Did I fail… as a teacher?_

"Let us walk, Kakashi."

Once more, he walked, for once with his guard completely down, unaware of his surroundings – and the blind trust in placed in Gai, the self-proclaimed rival of his, was the element of surprise and unbidden support.

If he could only…

For once, that beast did not speak a word. For this, Kakashi was truly grateful.

And tomorrow, another day would come.

The monotony of a monochromatic world.

"Kakashi…"

"Hm?"

"Kakashi, I believe I am…"

"What, Gai?"

"Sasuke."

"What-"-the hell?

Kakashi's feet halted.

And Sasuke's did too.

A safe, short and uncanny distance they stood from each other, eyes drawn to the other's, silence longer than eternal passing between.

Seconds passing, time wasting, the ticking of time ever-so-reprimanding-

-him of the truth.

_Team 7… there is no Team 7, not any longer._

Eyes narrowing, body blindly following, the opportunities diminished just as well, Kakashi resumed in walking and the other did the same, the steps echoing about, the multitude of each dream forgone a burden gradually increasing, the thought of the lost, of the regret and ignorance, just a faint copy of what it had once been.

They passed by each other.

Like strangers, like those unfamiliar faces, like just thin air they viewed each other.

And a few long strides later, Sasuke's cold, unrelenting voice, an empty echo, called.

"Kakashi-sensei…"

He stopped. "Need anything, Sasuke?"

"Not particularly, no… I was thinking… Have you seen Naruto?"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "Ah, me? I'm afraid not, but isn't that your thing, Sasuke? Knowing always all there is to know about Naruto's whereabouts?"

"Oh, is it? I wasn't aware."

"I see. My mistake then."

Next to him, Gai stiffened.

A second later, Kakashi felt Sasuke's hard gaze on his back. "I think he'd be in the Hokage tower, right?"

From the corner of his eyes, Kakashi saw Gai giving him a warning look; don't start anything, it probably said, aiding him in further understanding the ease with which his ex-student taunted him so.

Kakashi gave him a small, almost inaudible sigh, and frowned ever so slightly, replying back that though a fool he'd once been, past really would remain loyal only to its title.

Moments later, he was taking another step forward, speaking in the nonchalant tone of voice that suggested he had not a care for the world – and somehow suspecting the resolution yet had to be found. "I believe so. In either regard, you might need to check and see for yourself, although it shouldn't be a difficult task for you, Sasuke."

He wouldn't give him that, the pleasure of taking a look at his face and seeing for himself what impact his very presence had on the party, what thoughts still even now would sporadically cross their features, their presence foul, filthy enough that'd show predominant on their faces – and let the surrounding world feel how terrible an existence it was right now.

Knowing all that and not having a clue about rebound.

"Hn. Correct, Kakashi-san. Nice talking to you, let's do that again soon."

Walking on them like he always did.

Kakashi's blood boiled. "Wait."

And he gave him the pleasure, partial to such misgivings at the moment, turning around and leveling both eyes at Sasuke's dispassionate, uncaring face.

"What is it, Kakashi-san?"

"What do you plan to do to Naruto now that we know the truth?"

Sasuke's expression did not change, hence the cold fear gripping Kakashi's heart as right then Sasuke's lips drew back into a heartless, inanimate smile.

"I thought that would be obvious…"

Smile that sent shivers up and down Kakashi's spine.

"_I plan on being Naruto's most precious person."_

A puppet strung down by the strings controlled not from above but behind, its shadow being the true mastermind behind all spoken and action taken.

The puppeteer returning back to renew his claim on his puppet.

And Kakashi let him go.

Sasuke's back disappeared in the distance, his persona shrouded in as much clarity as the workings of this world.

In his mind, Kakashi kept returning to moments of oblivion as sweet as honey, as sugary and mellifluous as the words of a lover whispering things in your ear, as far away as his grasp on reality.

"Kakashi… Let's go."

Gai steered him away from the path and down the village both walked, an unlikely pair arousing suspicion – then understanding.

So even they knew… Judging only by his face.

"Ah…"

"You need to clear your mind a bit, Kakashi."

"I know, Gai, I know… I don't know what I was thinking, asking him that."

"Hm, maybe the obvious… Just trying to make sure."

"Make sure, you say? Maybe that's right… But I got no reassurance."

No nothing.

Soon their synchronized steps reached the Konoha wall, the great gate safely shut close, a few guards around, and no other living soul to keep them company. Knowingly they looked at Kakashi, before pretending to be far more interested in their shoes, and Kakashi pondered if he did look as anguished as their glassy, nervous looks made it seem.

_Huh, what losing could do to a person…_

It was alright, though, because if nothing else, he knew and he could latch onto that reality, holding onto it tooth and nail until with clarity he was awarded, yet until then he'd not waste his days away moping and brooding, even if the temptation was truly grave and most difficult to resist, even if his current state suggested such abysmal plans for future.

Kakashi stopped in his tracks and looked at Gai. "Well, it's been a pleasant chat…"

Gai managed a smile. "Heh, you're welcome, my eternal rival."

"Hm, indeed. Hmm… Now that we're here, might as well check the borders, see how our guards are faring after the meeting…"

"Are you suspecting any attacks soon?"

"Shikamaru's message was oddly cryptic, but our estimations coincide with it; we should be expecting attacks soon, though the multitude remains in question."

"Hm, very exact, my rival! Let us march!"

"… How about we just walk?"

"Well… No!"

Kakashi sighed.

At least the guy had hesitated somewhat, a proof he was considering his feelings or something that obscure. Ah…. Still they didn't exactly march, taking a pleasant stroll down the dark and empty streets of Konoha, neither speaking a word and instead humoring the peeked curiosity as still the truth eluded them.

Kakashi almost wished for something to happen, but dared not voice out such thoughts, knowing how perilous an exclamation of that sort could be viewed, given the gravity of the situation and still the air of tight scrutiny forlornly exchanged even now.

So, keeping quiet and mostly to himself, he opted for that small stroll to clear out his mind.

It would take hours, no doubt, to fully accomplish that goal, but he had high hopes and wouldn't dare succumb to any pathetic feelings of disappointment and anger, at least not any longer.

So together they walked, side by side, Gai occasionally shooting him a troubled look and interrupting the silence with a story or two about their rivaldom, as he put it – a newly invented word, Kakashi wanted to remark, but rivalry was too plain a something for a man as beastly and passionate as Gai, and so Kakashi let it be, content with listening to stories of rivaldom and passiondom, because suddenly everything sounded a lot more resolute with "dom" attached to it.

And seeing as such absurdities he'd not heard in a long time, before he even knew it, Kakashi found himself relaxing and laughing.

"Gai…"

"Rival!"

He'd do it once. Once in his life. And then never again. "Thank you."

Silent it was, but not inaudible, not muttered in cowardice, and Gai's smile looked almost delicate as the man acknowledged the gratitude.

Kakashi, in the fleeting moment of obsolete yearning, looked towards the surrounding shops.

And that tiny, seemingly insignificant something, caught his attention.

He stopped in his tracks. "Gai, are convenience stores usually open at this time of a day?"

"Hm? They usually are, Kakashi, but… Ah, as far as I'm aware, the lights are usually switched on."

Kakashi inclined his head to the side. "And usually, there are customers… I think we best take a look inside."

It was a small store, pushed to the brink of starvation with how little customers it had, and despite that it prevailed under all circumstances, and despite that Kakashi couldn't be less inclined to believe that its elderly owners had decided to try operating at night to appease even the people who functioned better under the dark blanket swept over their heads.

He neared the place, suspicious of its barred windows and entrance door just slightly ajar, a few planks idly laying close, as if the owners had for reasons so far unknown tried to barricade themselves but been interrupted mid-way through, now, perhaps, covering frightfully elsewhere.

"Say, Kakashi… Just earlier today, I was passing by this store and it looked completely ordinary to me."

"I know, Gai, I was with you," he replied, discontent slowly rising. Suspicious? Definitely. But why this store and what exactly had transpired between now and then? "Do you sense anything?"

"No, no chakra signatures at all. Perhaps the perpetrators have left already."

"So perpetrators there were indeed."

Just a few steps away from it they stopped, the gloomy, dark mood coming from within the store spreading about with vice and spite. Most unordinary, too, as the rest of the street looked in perfect order, all houses lined up one to another, the windows open, some people still flocking on the streets and chatting to each other animatedly. It was as if… They didn't even the notice the state this house was in, as if…

"Genjutsu? Impossible, we'd have noticed it much earlier," hissed Gai to his side, not daring to step further inside, merely standing on the make-shift porch.

Kakashi sighed, eyes narrowing. "I get a bad feeling about this… Gai, it's possible we could have ignored it. After all, ever since finding out about Sasuke attacking Sakura yesterday, we've been all edgy, almost blind to our surroundings."

"But even you? I find it hard to believe."

Kakashi could have patted the man. "Thank you, Gai, but we both know I didn't deal with it that well just a while ago, so there's no need to baby me. I admit, I made many mistakes in dealing with this matter, and this might just be one of them coming to bite us back. Anyway." He pressed his hands together in a seal. Body hot with chakra, he focused on the problem at hand. _"Kai."_

There was no obvious change. The store looked exactly the same, but just as Kakashi was about to assume something had gone wrong, a frightened shriek from behind them disturbed all such placated thoughts, informing them of what foul thing had been at play here.

"Oh, my! What is this? But it looked completely alright just a while ago!" A woman cried, hands over her mouth and eyes wide with wonder.

Kakashi glanced at her. "There's no need to panic, we just have something to take care of."

"Go, go, lady! My eternal rival and I shall take care of it!"

Without further ado, the woman scampered off, but it was too late; the villagers were taking notice, looking frightfully at the store, comprehension dawning on them and it occurred to Kakashi they'd soon have a bigger issue at their hands if they let it spiral from under control.

Kakashi disliked that firmly settled presence of "if".

He looked at Gai, wishing to share something, perhaps, but then, a weak, whimpering noise coming from inside the house stopped him.

"H-hel… p… plea…sseee…"

Gai cursed. "We need to act now!" And he dashed inside the building, no longer caring for what dangers lay ahead – but Kakashi wasn't worried for him, knowing the man was a skilled ninja, immune to most dangers of life, and maybe that would protect him from what lay hidden inside.

Or maybe…

_I shouldn't take these things for granted._

Cursing the folly, Kakashi marched inside.

And the moment he stepped over the threshold, pitch black area welcomed him. The air didn't smell. The air might as well have been just a figment of his imagination. And he could have been just dreaming this, because the floor under his feet felt soft, mushy, cushioned, and he thought there was no better time to sleep than now, just to close his eyes and then the darkness would cover him from all sides like a warm and large duvet, and then he'd sleep and the thoughts of Sasuke and Naruto, of losing his team and becoming the exact kind of a person he'd hated since Obito's death would finally leave him be, finally to let him rest and sleep and he'd love that sleep and love and… L-lo…ve… It.

"D-… damn, what kind of a genjutsu is this," he croaked, body hitting the ground, knee impacting hard and a sharp pain resonating throughout his body. Hadn't he dispelled it before? No, foolish. He'd not felt it outside the building, which meant-

_Sleep, sleep… Sleep. Just a short nap. Hasn't hurt anyone before, right? Sleep…_

_No… No_… Even in his own mind his voice sounded drowsy.

And where was Gai?

"Damn it… damn…" he breathed. Lift your arms, form the seal, form, for…m… form it…

_So… hard to think…_

What was it? The name… That… word-thing-y? And… why did he need to… Maybe he'd see his father. Apologize. This time, no stupid jutsu would separate them, no self-proclaimed martyr to separate them… No nothing and they'd talk forever and ever and ever and…

"_Kakashi-sensei… It's been a while since we talked, right? Heh, sorry 'bout that, really, been kind of busy with Sasuke and… Yeah. So, have you heard yet? Baa-chan's named me the new Hokage. Isn't that awesome?"_

Kakashi's eyes slipped close. _Yes, Naruto, that really is awesome, as you put it… And your smile… You really are happy, aren't you?_

"_Say, Kakashi-sensei… You believed me… And I feel that I must… Nah, it's not that I must, I know it's right. I want to thank you. You believed in me, Kakashi-sensei, even if we kind of didn't meet eye to eye at first. Hehe, but your face still looked awesome when I got you with that prank. Still can't believe you fell for it."_

_Heh… You little brat…_

"_Now, where was I? Oh, right… OH! Kakashi-sensei… Thank you. You know, I really couldn't have done it without you. So now, I think, now's right about the time to return the trust… Let me show you, Kakashi-sensei, that believing in me wasn't a mistake. Let me return the trust… I promise to you, that you will never regret standing by my side. I promise… If I ever fail… No. Nah, I won't… With you as my teacher, I won't ever fail. Heh. Because, you really were only short of being the best thing in the world to me."_

"_So thank you… for your… trust… I trust you back. Just as much. Never forget that."_

Never… forget that… right? Right…?

Trust.

Kakashi's Sharingan eye blazed with life.

_What the hell am I doing?_

Mustering all left energy, he formed the simple seal, determined, resolve coursing through his veins, the mind filled with Naruto's words – and to think he'd have discarded them for ignorance, to think he could have fallen for this primitive genjutsu and severed a bond with his precious student for mere _cowardice._

_Never, you bastard._

"_KAI!"_

A puff of smoke, the chakra dissipating in the air, the air becoming crystal clear and laced with the smell of miso and freshly baked rice bread, the bread the reminder of the last time he'd tasted it, that taste a faint, dimmed memory in his mind, the mind wild with fury, the wheels inside it jumping back to life.

Life.

Kakashi pushed himself up on his knees, watching the cloth of darkness shrink back, revealing the wooden material beneath, the store that seemed untouched, safe for the few cans scattered here there and Gai's slumped, panting figure right next to the owner's.

"Gai!"

"I'm fine," muttered the man. "I'm fine… Damn genjutsu, caught me off guard. But he's alive."

"Oh, good, good…"

"Kakashi, what was this-"-he turned around to direct the half-lidded eyes on Kakashi, about to express grati-horror, wha-"_Kakashi, behind you-"_

He dodged, throwing the body on instinct to right, the kunai missing his neck by an inch, the assailant's dead, empty eyes standing out on the otherwise covered face-

-he stomped his right foot to the ground, all weight shifted to it, the fall broken, a fist swung back-

-it hit the attacker straight between his eyes, the impact sending him flying out on the porch, the kunai in slow motion aiming to hit the ground-

-Kakashi rushed towards him, Sharingan blaring, hand catching the kunai mid-air, reaching him as the body hit the ground, knee dug into the man's chest, pressure applied to hear the loud, unpleasant crack as the ribcage gave away, the kunai pressed to the man's throat-

-and a thin, red line appeared there, a drop of blood gathering at its far end and then twirling down.

"How many of you are here? Speak."

The man's eyes rolled backwards.

Kakashi snarled. "Speak now. Or-"

"I am dead already."

The man looked at Kakashi and Kakashi could see the uncertain, unfocused look in the eyes, as if the person wasn't even aware of his surroundings.

Yet then the eyes narrowed. "Kill me."

"Not until you tell me."

"Heh… tell you…"

"Tell. Me. _Now_."

Though covered, Kakashi could see the man's mouth open wide, and right then the eyes saw something – something so downright frightening, that under the influence of primitive, carnal fright they widened into the size of saucers.

And unused to such a display of emotions, Kakashi flinched.

The man moaned. "Yes, master. I obey, master. I serve only my master."

"… What?"

"Kakashi!" Gai appeared behind them, but Kakashi couldn't tear his gaze away. Hypnotized, he watched the attacker, and was certain of a similar hypnosis having been placed on him-because only then did Kakashi realize the body pressed into the ground was skinny and frail, bony and with little meat on it, as it felt light-weight and most like a feather under his body, and he was certain that if removed, the clothing would reveal a pale face, sunken cheeks and unnaturally protruding bones.

"Master… Then tell me, your master, how many of you are here?"

Another moan.

Why?

He was-

-dying.

Shi-"Tell me." No time. If he was dying…

"As ordered, infiltrate the village in night… a dozen of us… Master."

"What's your aim? Why are you here?"

It took him a while to respond. Kakashi knew he had little time before all life source fled him. And before the answers fled along with him.

And he'd never felt this desperate.

"Tell me."

The cut deeper, the blood pooling-

"Kakashi, you're killing him."

"He's dead already. He's dying."

"What? ... Damn."

"Understand, Gai… I've waited far too long, laid dormant… And it's time I snapped out of it. This time… This time for sure."

This time, he'd protect his team.

The man under him groaned. "We are here too… too… tooooo… t-di… dis….directive… else…" Bloodied foam at his mouth, soaking through the material, making him all the more desperate…

"Die… to die… we're here to die… We're all here to die… H-help us."

Kakashi lowered his face. "I'm sorry. There's nothing we can do…"

"Ah… late… we succeeded… We managed…"

Still the clothing. Still the determination, resolve and… Wait. That was a… grin?

The man's eyes wrinkled, a genuine smile, a maniacal glint in his eyes. "We are… just a distraction. The real directive is else. Tell me, Kakashi-sensei, where is your lord now?"

He gurgled, the clarity blaring, and his eyes rolled back for good, the body slumped, unresponsive.

Kakashi stood above him, frozen.

"Gai…" He stood up. "Sound the alarm. Alarm everyone. Tell them we're under attack."

His hands balled into fists.

"And that the target is Naruto."

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

"Yamato-sensei!"

Sakura was running towards them. "Yamato-sensei!"

Baffled, Yamato looked to side at Tsunade, who shrugged, helpless, and directed his gaze back on the flailing and running, but at least healthy-looking Sakura.

"Sakura, is everything alright?" he asked, keeping his expression characteristically blank and emotionless, a stark contrast in comparison to her despaired eyes. "You look well," he commented, thinking back to being told she'd fallen a prey to Sasuke's fickle desires, and looking at her upside down it was obvious she'd recovered completely from that gruesome experience – although given what horror seemed to gnaw at her mind now, strong enough it'd show on her face, he wasn't sure.

"I-I, well, thanks, but-"

"Are there any side effects? Did you notice anything unusual?" inquired Tsunade; her strictly business, right to the point attitude soothed Yamato somewhat, a strange reassurance in this foreign world, and he decided to ignore the reality – which was that underneath her mask, a longing for actual peace persisted.

Sakura shook her head. "Please, don't ask me such questions now. I need to talk to you, it's important. And-Shikamaru, have you seen him?"

"Shikamaru?" Tsunade's brows rose to meet her hairline. "What do you need him for?"

Yamato thought; were they stunted now, emotionally? Under any other circumstances, wouldn't they be reacting to the distress on Sakura's face, yearning to help her as soon as possible before it was too late? He realized how impressed the recent findings had left them, realized how numb he felt; precise, cold man though he could have been called, not an ounce in him hoping for more ways of expressing his utmost wishes, it left a grapping thought on his mind, the fact that still he could only stare at Sakura in dreary wonder.

As if she, illuminated by this beautiful, evening light, was only short of becoming an illusion.

Whatever it was, Sakura didn't notice. "I need to speak to him, it's urgent, it's-I actually don't know, I can't be sure… In fact, I want all of you to be here. It's absolutely important that we meet and discuss it."

Tsunade looked at her, eyes deadened. "It? What is it?"

"It concerns Naruto," replied Sakura, voice grave, and maybe right then, as Tsunade's expression didn't change, did Sakura realize it; her distress subsided, a most peculiar expression on her face, before the reality dawned on her and she let out this troubled, heavy sigh. "So, you know… Naruto, he told me… That you all knew."

Tsunade didn't acknowledge the words.

Yamato's eyes narrowed at the woman, cursing in his mind his own inability to act – and her grievous and deep attachment to their Hokage. "Yes, we do, Sakura, just as you. Neji told us how you'd found out. I'm sorry it had to have gone that way," in a professional voice he announced, treating the matter as delicate.

Sakura managed a small smile. "Yeah… but… No, it doesn't matter. Where are the others?"

"Gone," said Tsunade. "The meeting ended hours ago, Sakura, everyone returned to their position and duties. Another meeting won't be arranged for a long time-"

"There has to be! I have something important to share, it's… Look, fine, if it's not everyone-I mean, I might be wrong and…"

"Is it something Naruto told you?" pressed Tsunade.

Sakura looked at her, pleading. "Yes. It, it actually is…"

Yamato felt himself snap out of the reverie. "Tell us then, what is it?"

And Sakura opened her mouth to retort and share the secret at last, at last being the keyword unfulfilled, and Yamato would have waited eagerly for her to say it-hadn't four ANBU materialized right next to them.

"News," one of them said, only the safe confinements of the mask shielding the look of horror – the one clearly depicted in the voice. "Konoha is under attack, the assailants infiltrated our village from the inside. Their target is Hokage-sama. Kakashi-san has already killed one, but eleven more are hidden throughout the village. They're using a sleep-inducing genjutsu. Kakashi-san sends a warning; dispel it within seconds after you feel it, lest you fall a victim to its effects. Currently, Kakashi-san is trying to weed out the rest of them and suspects they're trying to hide in the crowds."

A spell broke.

Sakura barely muffled the gasp-Yamato's brows merely furrowed, but Tsunade-

"Goddamn them…" Tsunade was awake. Awake and shaking with rage. "So the estimations were correct, they did show up after all… Just as we found out. But how-damn. _Damn…_ Someone betrayed us. It's probably how they got in, too… Have you got any leads?"

The ANBU shook his head. "Nothing so far. They're hidden well. But I haven't received re-"

Tsunade cut him off. "Who's guarding Naruto?"

And the ANBU's answer came too slow. "Hokage-sama… We… can't seem to reach him."

"What?" Sakura's shriek echoed around.

Tsunade rounded on the ANBU, wrath bouncing off her in waves. "What do you mean you can't reach him? How is that possible? You should always know where Naruto is. That is your duty! Hokage's personal guard, always on guard, always on duty, always by his side!"

Another ANBU stepped forward. "He was last seen talking to Haruno-san, but since that we have not been able to locate him and our chakra sensors are clueless."

"What… Since talking to me? But that wasn't that long ago… An hour, maybe? That's not that bad…"

"Sakura." Tsunade's gaze pierced her through and through. "An hour might seem like nothing, but the Hokage always needs to be watched closely. An hour in this case is too long. And given the situation…"

As she trailed off, as the party spiraled downwards to depression, Yamato decided he'd heard enough. "Right. We can't allow ourselves to lose hope now. Naruto is in Konoha, he wouldn't leave-rather… He can't."

"The seal," muttered Sakura. Subsequently, her eyes widened. "That's it! I wanted to tell you, before it's too late-the end, the end that Shikamaru spoke off… It might not what we thought at all."

"Sakura, is this really the time, we need to-"

Sakura shook her head, an abrupt, sudden motion that caused the hair to whip at her cheeks. "Now. Before it really is too late. I need to tell you, and ANBU-tachi, spread it to the others. The end that Shikamaru was talking about, remember? _'The end is nigh'_, it wasn't talking about us finding… What Naruto said, when he said it, I-"

Yamato's brows wrinkled. "Pull yourself together, you aren't making any sense at all…"

"I know! The end that we feared, it's in reality, Naruto's!"

Tsunade turned pale. "Naruto's? You think they will manage…"

"No, not at all. It's not that the assailants will get him. In fact, this attack, it's nothing, just a charade, a distraction, it's got to be, because the real blow will come from elsewhere. It all makes now… What we all feared and still in the end we overlooked it… The real end of Naruto will happen as-"

At the worst of times, the ground beneath their feet shook.

Sakura's words died in her throat.

A second later, an explosion was heard.

And as they all turned around, they saw, even from this distance, the windows on the Hokage tower shatter.

Deep, dark red flames covered it, lapping at the sides, all of it engulfed.

Smoke as dark as the night itself rose from it, reaching the skyscraping clouds, the deep of the night.

Tsunade turned to them, and yelled.

"Everyone, immediately, sound the alarm, WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!"

At that precise moment, two figures from above descended on them.

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

Shikamaru lost balance, hitting the nearby wall, eyes automatically moving to the source-

"What the… _Naruto_."

"Shikamaru!"

Kakashi didn't waste time looking up – he knew, he had to know, for how else to place the look in his eyes? –, running towards Shikamaru and stopping only briefly to inspect the situation. Shikamaru couldn't have even bothered with that, but still-the village, under attack? So this was the end, the end of… No.

He peeled himself off the wall, face contorted in fury. "Bastards attacked finally."

"More than that. A dozen of them infiltrated the village. Ugh. Their target is Naruto."

"He wasn't in the tower," replied Shikamaru quickly, surveying the panic as it overwhelmed the villagers. "I came looking for him there, but I couldn't find him."

Kakashi nodded. "Good, so-"

"AAH!"

A woman fell onto the ground, screaming bloody murder as a kunai lodged itself into her leg, the face tear-stained and terror-fed, so much fear in her it could have been an infectious disease.

Her attacker removed the kunai and stared them down, waiting for a moment to attack-

-before a black and white beast appeared from above, jumping from a rooftop and mauling him to death within seconds-

-Sai followed immediately afterwards, the brush and scroll in either hand, the man's dying scream the theme song that accompanied him.

The beast roared one last time before dissipating into nothingness and Sai shot the mutilated body a despaired look. "Why now? What…"

"Too easy," muttered Kakashi to Shikamaru. "That was too easy. What is going on?"

Shikamaru cursed, expression darkening. "I don't know..."

Sai ran towards them.

Shikamaru's mind reeled. "People are panicking."

"They're attacking from all directions," said Sai as he reached them, brows knitted together in worry. "The ANBU report having already taken care of five."

"Five? So most of them are dead… But this is too easy. They just keep dropping like flies without putting up any fight," said Kakashi. "What kind of a cursed plan is this…"

"They're sent to certain death," finished Shikamaru, hands balled into fists and voice shaking. His shoulder hurt. Probably, he'd hit it harder than he'd thought, but he couldn't have put enough care in that triviality; was this mastermind confident enough he'd send these puppets after them while he attended to other matters? But what other matters… Naruto… But somehow, it didn't feel right…

Kakashi cut all thoughts off. "Let's go. We can't just stand by. We need to take care of the others; however weak they are, they're still putting the village at risk."

Shikamaru's mind drew a blank and he ran after Kakashi, Sai trailing behind.

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

"What is thi-oh-YOU DARE!"

The next thing the man saw was Sakura's fist charging at his face, before the impact sent him flying against the wall and effectively wrecking it.

Sakura huffed and shrugged someone's hand off as it reached to cater to the wound on her hand. She scoffed yet immediately shot the person an apologetic look, a quick survey of the wound proving it to be completely insignificant. "I'm fine," she barked out and looked around.

Tsunade was attending to a nearby injured villager, crouching by the person's still form and frowning, possibly reprimanding the fool for getting in the way and assuming they could come in handy when dealing with skilled and armed assailants.

But at least the fool was around to witness it.

Sakura heaved out a deep sigh and fixed the gloves on her hands, pushing them further down, until tightly around her fingers the material was enclosed.

And she spat out the blood gathered in her mouth.

Adrenaline pumped through her veins. She felt alive.

And repulsed by the sight of the scattered villagers, the sound of crying children and the three foul bastards lying dead by their feet.

"Haruno-san."

"I told you, I'm fine."

"I didn't mean that, Tsunade-sama is calling you."

She blinked and turned to look at her master; indeed she was shooting her this deeply disapproving and troubled look and Sakura obediently ran over to her.

"Shishou?"

"Sakura-"

Ah, this really wasn't the best of days for finishing sentences, Sakura thought grimly-

-as Tsunade's eyes widened and she heard a cry.

Acting immediately, she whipped her whole body around and sent a small amount of chakra into her feet-

-a jump high and fast and the man didn't even have the time to blink before pummeled to the ground he was and great crater was left behind to forever mar his tomb. Sakura straightened herself up and shook the blood off her fist.

"AAHHH!"

What-

-she whipped her head around to see two more.

Both on top of the nearby building and one holding a girl above by her neck, her feet dangling far above the ground, the neck squeezed, airflow cut off.

Clothed though the faces were, the smirks seemed to protrude, magnificent and bold as two pairs of eyes fell on the group on the ground and the girl, with one last, strangled scream, was released.

And she fell, fell, fell, falling all the way down, and the body of her abductor hit the ground even before, dead, the head twisted, blood coming out from the corner of his mouth.

Naruto's cloak billowed, frozen mid-air to float forever in the gravity-defying way, as if a wind kept howling at his figure as it lurched forward, catching the girl just on time.

One last shimmering flash of the katana, and the other assailant fell too, face smashed, ribcage trashed, as Sasuke landed on him, the weight of his body pushing the man into the ground.

The ground shook, a tremor rocked through it, and the dust settled.

A collective sharp intake of breath was heard and the anticipated shouts of-

"Hokage-sama!"

Naruto didn't even turn to look at them, setting the frightened girl on the ground, hands clasped firmly around her shoulders as she all but shook to the core of her being, tears running down her round face and lips parted in the dying scream of "help me" that had, possibly, been the last thing to cross her mind before being thrown down.

"Baby!" A mother soon rushed to her and Naruto abandoned her side, stalking towards the group, Sasuke silent and, as per usual, in tow.

"The hell's going on? Seriously, can anyone explain why this?" Naruto said, motioning at the wrecked houses around and then, almost nonchalantly, a deadpan expression briefly crossing his features, at the smoke coming from the Hokage tower. "And why that?"

Four ANBU rushed towards him, yet instead of replying they shot him a grateful, relieved look and Sakura duly noted how annoyed Naruto appeared.

"Naruto, the village is under attack. Or… Was. I believe those two were the last," spoke Tsunade, similarly leaving the injured man behind and stalking towards Naruto, hurry and panic in her steps. "Better question would be, Naruto, where the hell were you while Konoha was under attack?"

He winced. "I was with-"

Tsunade's eyes turned cold. "Don't finish that sentence."

And suddenly, Sakura became aware this was the first official meeting between Naruto and the others since everyone finding out.

To make the matters worse, more people appeared.

Kakashi, Sai and Shikamaru, accompanied by Gai and Kurenai.

Ino and Chouji, Neji, Yamato and Iruka-

There, everyone saw Naruto's eyes trail towards Iruka and freeze there-

-they widened.

Wide, wide, the size of saucers, the size of all his fears merged together and presented in one jointed, horrific and mutated form.

And Naruto averted his eyes. "I was-ugh. Are there any more?"

"No," replied Kakashi, stepping forward.

And Naruto backed away.

One, two, three steps.

Four and five.

Sasuke appeared behind him, the katana sheathed, the eyes a vivid, mocking shade of red.

Kakashi didn't take notice. "One of them told me. I believed him, because he assumed I was his master, although precautions need to be taken to ensure there aren't more of them around. Regardless, our estimations were, indeed, correct; they were under mind control."

"And one just assumed you were its puppet master? How?" asked a nearby, unfamiliar jounin.

Kakashi's exasperated sigh echoed around. "I believe I'd like to know the answer to that myself. Unfortunately, I don't know. Naruto. Where were you?"

Again, that wince that spoke volumes. Naruto grimaced. "Doesn't matter."

"You were MIA while Konoha was under attack. You realize how foolish that is?" pressed Yamato.

Naruto let out a disgruntled groan. "What do you want me to say? I was with Sasuke."

Sakura looked at him, pity in her eyes. There was that considerable, both physical and emotional distance between them, further pronounced by the heavy looks sent in Naruto's direction as all minds reverted back to the moment of being told the truth, as all recalled vividly the story Iruka had shared, and as all realized their Hokage wasn't a man to embody freedom, not when the person stood beside him kept his hands forever bound and shackled.

"It doesn't matter now," added Naruto quickly, looking around to survey the damage. "You can chastise me later… Now, I'd like to know why exactly Konoha was attacked. And how."

"They were after you." Shikamaru's response came too fact, cutting off any protests already affiliated with this ordeal, and Naruto's eyes narrowed, disbelief written all across his face.

"Che… me… Eh. Well, it didn't really work out in their favor, huh?"

"There's more, Hokage-sama," spoke one of the ANBU. "We believe they infiltrated the village from the inside."

"Inside," echoed Naruto, a thoughtful look on his face. "So… someone sold Konoha out. Any leads?"

Sakura's heart sank.

She waited for anyone to say something, to voice out their doubts about Naruto's most loyal follower and disregard all that may have stood in their way, but then the story of Iruka's flashed before their eyes. Sakura saw many eyes widen, saw them all avert their gazes and look elsewhere rather than admit to Naruto who they blamed for all this.

Really, she couldn't blame them.

Hoping to change the course of the conversation – or interrogation, even if she detested herself for calling it so –, heroic, she stepped forward and shook her head abruptly, a sound emitted from her throat that succeeded in snapping most out of their self-inflicted stupor. "A powerful ninja, no doubt, but other than that, we've got no leads."

Naruto mulled it over, maybe trying to figure out who among their ranks could have stooped as low as to allow hurt to be inflicted on the villagers, and Sakura used the few seconds to see the faces of her comrades, to see the question in their eyes and the uncertainty as, at that moment, they all were so helpless.

"Ahh… damn it… Fine. Yosh." Naruto bellowed, eyes ablaze and face determined, and clasped his hands together. "Time to find out then. We'll weed this bastard out, if he's still here. We'll work in groups, search the village, and we'll need a medic team dispatched to help the wounded."

"I'll take care of that," spoke Tsunade, her voice still crisp and unfeeling. "But you can't stay alone. You need your guards, Naruto, someone you can trust."

That was when Naruto was supposed to say "Sasuke will be with me", only to affirm their beliefs that he trusted the man explicitly even if it displeased them so, but Naruto…

Naruto remained silent.

Behind him, Sasuke shifted, now standing directly behind him, as if truly to remind them of his status as their leader's shadow, the perpetual master to control all his actions and pull the strings whenever necessary.

"I'll be fine," said Naruto after a moment, eyes briefly narrowing, the worry settling there. "We need to find the bastard who's behind all this and help the wounded first. My safety comes as last. You should know that, baa-chan. I am the village's protector, not the idol."

Briefly, Tsunade's mask dissolved, the despair bubbling beneath her eyes showing. "As you wish…"

Shikamaru let out a deep sigh to echo around. "In the meantime, I'll fill you in on the details."

He launched into an explanation shortly afterwards, but few remained to listen to it.

Without having to hear the order, they separated into groups based on the experience level, field of expertise and power, until ten groups of three were formed, Sakura finding herself, coincidentally enough, in a team with Sai and Kakashi.

But she couldn't part.

Instead, her eyes remained glued to the figures of Naruto and Sasuke as Shikamaru spoke directly in Naruto's ear.

She wondered if Naruto had sought Sasuke out instead of heeding the warnings, went to apologize for the previous night, went to him seeking the safe confinements of his embrace, incapable of being separated for too long, still just as addicted to Sasuke as a day ago.

In her mind, she kept returning to her own discovery, but with the situation resolved and the assailants dead, no longer was she as firmly convinced of the end; she'd meant for him to die, maybe, sowing the seeds of distrust and fear among the peers, because, truly, the idea of him falling during battle as a result of some… treacherous… actions and-

She shook her head, dismissing all ideas of Naruto ever nearing his end, of her farfetched story crossing the borders to reality and carrying along its disastrous true face.

The adrenaline now gone, she pushed herself to focus on other matters – the wounded, the lost and grieving, the people scarred by this event awaited her godly hands and there wasn't enough time in the world for both.

To her side, Kakashi stood, his brows furrowed in a way soon to become perpetual, the lips, no doubt, drawn into a thin line as still one thought wouldn't let him be.

She noticed from the corner of her eye that Shikamaru had left Naruto's side, taking quick, long strides to reach them, and it distracted her for long enough that she ignored Kakashi's presence.

"What is it?" she asked once Shikamaru was close enough.

"I heard you were looking for me."

"Eh?"

"Yamato-taichou told me. So what did you need?"

Sakura sighed. "This is not the time, Shikamaru."

"It is. So talk quickly."

"Um…"

"Look." Shikamaru's shoulders rolled back, a look of irritation on his face. "Yamato-taichou said you'd looked really desperate and said something about the end. Your own explanation of what the end was, but he didn't have enough time to explain, so tell me now, quick."

She understood his drive, but not the resolve to pressure her so when obviously there was a lot more to do – and the ANBU, too, were leaving Naruto's side, leaving him to stand all alone in the middle of the street, with everyone else a safe distance from him and that ominous, blazing red shadow looming behind.

Against her will, she shuddered. "It was nothing, I was wrong. It was just something Naruto said, that's all. He, umm…" Tired, so tired. Sleep, she yearned for sleep. A few hours of would suffice, then back on her feet she would be, fully rejuvenated and capable of being of some use. But Shikamaru wouldn't budge and some heads were turning in their direction, once more applying that undesirable amount of pressure on her shoulders – once more making her feel like that weak, twelve-year-old girl who, under the scrutiny of their condemning glares, could not help but shiver and plea to be released from under the spell.

And that thought injected liquefied anger in her veins. Pushing the old fears aside, she opted for a quick retelling of the story, for if indulged he wished to be, so humor him she would. "When we were alone, Naruto tried to explain to me what Sasuke meant to him. At one moment, he said that without Sasuke, he'd meet his… ultimate demise, let's put it that way. But, what he said, was that it would be his end. I don't know why, really, but I just… somehow it struck me as a possibility, that's all. That this could be the end you were talking about, you know? Not the end of the story, not the end of Konoha… not… death as we understand it, but its incorporeal, step-brother, a sibling… The end of Naruto as we know him."

The anger morphed, assuming its true form; fear.

Sakura had hoped to dismiss the words, let them be ignored completely and left to rot in the figurative bin of the verbal communication, but the moment of their coming to existence, she saw her hands shake, felt her breathing turn shallow, found her eyes instinctively searching for Naruto in the background, hoping, pushed by anguish, to confirm he still stood there, the living and breathing epitome of all life.

She hoped now that Shikamaru would at least humor her back, maybe give her that friendly pat on the shoulder as if to say "good try, but next time, let the genius do the thinking"; admittedly enough, she would have hit him for that under any other circumstances, but now she was praying for the exact words to follow, for Shikamaru to give her the humorless laugh and treat her a pretty yet stupid doll meant to stand there and look pretty while everyone else did the work.

But he didn't.

He did not.

Instead there was the expression on his face suggesting a moment of contemplation and reconsideration, then the common sense, a long lost brother to all theories ever to be spoken, that infiltrated the fortress of his mind, bringing along the widening of his eyes, the parting of his lips soon turned comical as they formed the word "o" but no sound was heard.

Her face contorted greatly to portray the fears gnawing at her insides, and she moved to stop Shikamaru before the cursed man agreed, moved to silence him forever-before Kakashi cursed.

"Damn it. Damn it. Why didn't I think of it earlier?"

Washed ashore by confusion, Sakura blinked, awarding him with an incredulous stare. "What?"

Kakashi leveled her a hard, cool gaze – overcome slowly by thick tendrils of panic aroused from their sleep. "The man. That bastard… I didn't think of it before, but when, when he listened to me-"

Shikamaru frowned. "What?"

A tremor went through Kakashi's body.

_Though covered, Kakashi could see the man's mouth open wide, and right then the eyes saw something – something so downright frightening, that under the influence of primitive, carnal fright they widened into the size of saucers._

"Master… He didn't call me a master just out of nowhere. Damn it. He saw my Sharingan."

"How is that-"-she stopped. Froze. "… No. No… That is…"

"Right… That is right." Once more, Shikamaru had taken the liberty of finishing the sentences of others. Something possessed him; a terrible, excruciating pain much like an attack that made all the muscles convulse, as if an invisible force was peeling the skin off, cutting the flesh into pieces, pulling the muscles off the bones and literally leaving him to be torn into shreds by the shocking moment of realization that Sakura so, so just did not want to see, that Sakura so painfully refused to acknowledge, that her mind could no longer deny as-

-again, in faired despair, she found herself looking for Naruto, looking for the leader and the friend and the lover, but no sight of him around, only the ANBU joining their ranks, only the people busying by, helping the villagers, checking for wounds, doing their job-

-only Naruto far, far ahead, Sasuke leading this time, that one short step ahead-

-that one tiny, insignificant stupid distance between-

-no.

No.

Nonononono.

Sakura's stomach turned. Something chilled her to the bone.

And promptly gnawed on those too, as it held no respect, no dignity for the beaten. No respect for him-for… f-for… n-no…

No… No… No… No.

NO.

An anguished, blood-curling scream of furthermost fear leaving the voice hoarse-

"_NARUTO!"_

He was turning around to look at her, a startled expression on his face.

But Sasuke was turning around too and Naruto was too slow and everyone was way too freaking slow and Sasuke's eyes were the activated, ruthless Sharingan, the cold-blooded beast breaking free from its confinements and he was moving, too-

And Sakura was too slow.

They were too slow.

And Naruto didn't get it-why didn't he get it WHY WHY WHY-

A katana was drawn out of its sheath, dirtied by the blood it had spilled before, never meant to be cleansed off it, and it shone despite that, a bright red harbinger of doom.

And before she could see it-before she could understand it-

-before anyone could, Naruto's eyes were growing so impossibly wide and the katana Sasuke had drawn slithered with fake caress across the skin on his neck, a thin, gaping wound trailing behind.

And all life, all hearts, all ceased.

As the reality sunk in, as Sakura realized she had, for once in her life, been completely right.

Sasuke's body pressed against Naruto's, the katana held so casually, the other hand limp by his side, and Naruto's lips, as they saw it, parted just barely, the words passing by, turned into a breeze, turned into a wretched, heartbroken curse.

"… Sasuke, why?"

"_Why did you attack Sakura?"_

_Sasuke didn't even look at him. "You know very well why."_

_Naruto's gaze hardened. "Sasuke… Why?"_

"_Is this really the time, Naruto? Konoha is under attack." _

_And promptly dissolved. Shock replaced it, genuine and unfiltered and Naruto seemed to forget about the anger he'd felt. "What? The… hell. And you're just telling me this now?"_

_At last, Sasuke turned around to look at him, standing so perfectly shielded by the impeccable darkness of the corridor. "I just found out. Go help them, Naruto."_

"_Tell me."_

"_I just told you-"_

"_Why you attacked Sakura."_

_Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Naruto, don't be a fool. Go protect the village before-"_

"_Just tell me."_

_And he loved his village dearly, but Sasuke's endeavor was maddening, elusive, slipping past his fingers whenever he tried to confine it. "Just tell me, Sasuke. I need to know."_

_Sasuke couldn't hide forever in the shadows, not under his watch, but still the look in his eyes was unsettling, as if he wasn't there, as if… as if Naruto wasn't there._

_Naruto suppressed the shiver he felt rock through his body steadily. "Sasuke… Tell me."_

_Forever to be damned, Sasuke lowered his face. "Shouldn't you be asking how and not why?"_

"_No."_

"_You should."_

"_Why?"_

"_Why not, Naruto? There is the possibility."_

"_You wouldn't betray me."_

_Sasuke chuckled. "So cute you are, Naruto, so naïve, so gullible."_

_Naruto stared at him for one long, never-ending moment, before – overwhelmed by what he'd mentioned without a care to her before, caving willingly into the desire, he marched over to Sasuke-_

_-slammed him against the wall, a vicious growl ripping through him, the teeth bared and a despaired, needy look in his eyes. "Call me whatever you, teme, but I'll believe whatever I want to believe. And I believe you wouldn't betray me."_

_Sasuke didn't look at him. Didn't react to being slammed. Like he'd gotten used to it? … Like he'd expected it._

_Naruto's resolve seemed to falter, wounded by the incomprehension, but just as it was to fall apart completely-_

_-he felt the loving caress of his lips against the cheek._

_His eyes widened. "Sasuke…?"_

"_Fool," the lips drew against the skin. "The seal would kill me if I did, of course… Still you act like it's not there, like the real me, unbidden by this seal, would not dare lay a hand on you… It's what I admire about you, Naruto, this willingness to put all of you into something at the worst time and worst place."_

_Naruto gritted his teeth, fighting something inside him, a very strange, frightened like a child thought. "What are you saying?"_

"_I wish you'd always place all of you inside me… All your thoughts, all of your heart poured inside me… But you can't ever commit to that, Naruto."_

"_Sasuke, stop being so damned cryptic and just tell me…"_

"_Tell you what exactly, Naruto?"_

_Naruto opened his mouth-promptly clamped it shut, realizing he'd forgotten. What exactly did he want to know? What… He shuddered._

_Helpless and lone, he rested his forehead against Sasuke. _

_Sasuke shifted, forehead brushing against Naruto's, head lifted, their noses touching, their eyes meeting._

_Naruto grimaced. "You're right… There's nothing. I need to go help the villagers."_

_He pulled away._

_Shivered, cold, enslaved by the maelstrom enraged, and almost reached out to touch him again-to bask in the light and warmth, but-No. Not doing that. Not now._

"_We'll talk later, Sasuke. Let's get going now."_

_And he turned on his heels, firmly convinced now he was acting the fool Sasuke had dubbed him, and he had the village to protect and the seal to cater to, for much like a child it whined here and there, yet unlike a child any inquiry not met would result in-_

_-suddenly he couldn't move for a hand was gripping his and the hold was a hurting, hurtful and hurt one, all encompassed in just that brief, inaudible cry for help as Sasuke was no longer letting him walk._

"_Sasuke, what-"_

"_Promise me." Cut off. Sasuke's eyes were buried deep in Naruto's mind. Naruto found himself unable of tearing his gaze away. "Swear to me, Naruto, that you can treasure this, this trust in me. Treasure, love, unbidden. That you can understand."_

_Naruto opened his mouth-speechless-but Sasuke maybe didn't want an answer, maybe didn't require one at all, even if the words had begged for millions of those, millions all lined up neatly one next to another, readied on the tip of his tongue and already anticipating the moment of awakening, because before Naruto could combine all of his wits and hearts and reply…_

… _before all that, Sasuke was leaning in, closing all distance between them, one hand pressed hard against the back of his neck, the other reaching to trace the whisker marks…_

… _Kiss. Another…_

_Another. And the last? No… But…_

_It felt so-Naruto's eyes remained opened because he wouldn't let them slip close, wouldn't let them betray him, but he felt such anxiety, such need for him, all sole._

_And he took in a sharp intake of breath, but that could have been called the biggest mistake in the biggest mistakes, as his scent filled his nostrils and the eyes were closing as an immediate response to that, already betraying him. _

_And he didn't struggle._

_Not even when Sasuke wouldn't let go._

_Not when in the background, a loud explosion garnered the attention of most – but not his._

_Because this felt like a sweet, mournful goo-_

_He pressed them closer. And he felt Sasuke take a breath. Inside his mind – no war, just the wind, the sun, the sky above, the elements in perfect harmony._

_But… why… impossible…_

_It stopped. Sasuke pulled an inch away-"That's it, Naruto, that's what you have to do."_

_Uncomprehending, Naruto blinked. "What…?"_

_Sasuke's fingers rose to press against Naruto's chin and tip it sidewards, wherein outside the window a dark cloud of smoke was rising from the Hokage tower._

_Naruto cursed. "Damn it. Blew up the Hokage tower… Seriously a mistake, I mean. Seriously? Who'd go after that…? Heh. Sasuke, let's go."_

_Easy to ignore, easy to ostracize the sensations._

_He tried to hell himself Sasuke was still the Sasuke he knew._

_And that he'd just been told a saccharine, wordless goodbye._

Someone screamed.

The wind played with Naruto's hair. Behind them the smoke still rising towards the sky, marrying it beyond recognition, damp and dreary, moist and dark, like the eyes of his, reliving the past and now.

Deeper the blade dug, deeper to cut through the skin and flesh, deeper to separate the tissue in two even halves, deeper so the blood would keep rushing out.

"Why… Sasuke, why?"

Sasuke's lips brushed against Naruto's earlobe. "It's simple, foolish little Naruto." His hold on the katana tightened. "What defines me is power. What defines you… is weakness…"

A shadow moving, rushing towards-

-dozens of them, but still too slow.

Naruto's hand rose, fingers resting on the blade.

"Weakness… Sasuke… But the seal…?"

"Simple again, Naruto."

What…

"_There is no seal. Not any longer. I broke it."_

Before.

So many things.

And now…

Naruto let out a horrific scream.

That made all the witnesses shiver in fright, their skin prickling, their ears drumming and the hearts wailing.

In a swift, harsh motion, the katana was dragged across Naruto's neck-would have and could have, yet Naruto's hand had risen to grasp at its edge and instead the palm was struck, sliced open and almost off, the blade skidding across the bone, tearing through tissue and tendons, blood sprinkling about-

-he held it firm and still and pushed it from his body, his hold on it loosening, eventually the blade slipping and curved to strike him once more, sliding over the wrist instead, leaving a stroke behind, before deflected and almost ripped from the hand-

-but not giving up he was, striking again and Naruto turned on his heels, whole body whipped about, feet subsequently planted firmly on the ground and the blade was rushing at him again, aiming for his heart-

_-the heart, Sasuke. The heart?_

The torso jerked backwards, feet peeled off the ground, momentarily frozen a bare inch above, and barely the tip of the katana missed the skin, leaving a short cut through the clothing, but the center of gravity was shifted, the hands of his touching the ground, the lower body following soon afterwards, a smooth, unnoticeable motion, and the right leg bent in knee, before kicking out-

-and the katana was released, slipping from Sasuke's fingers, cluttering onto the ground the very exact moment as Naruto flipped back on his feet and almost lost balance, for the blood rushing out, the wound-

"HOKAGE-SAMA!"

"NARUTO!"

"Hokage-sama!"

"Medic nins! MEDIC NINS!"

-knitting together already, but who cared at all about such stupid-fu-frea-and-

Naruto shoved them all aside, the bodies hitting the ground, the flabbergasted gasps echoing around-

"WHY?"

Life stilled.

Sasuke reclaimed the katana that had fallen behind.

Naruto's knees buckled-he held out. "Tell me WHY?"

Sasuke indulged, a ruthless, dead smirk on his face.

His chakra flared to life, blazing about him and enveloping his figure.

"Naruto… You have survived in this unsightly manner so far, surrounded by the stench of death… Dare you, then cling onto this wretched life if you wish and one day, when you're defined by power, if you are still alive by then, come back and face me… But do not expect me to sit by idly and watch this illusion. Until then, Naruto…"

He started disintegrating. Disappearing. No-one could stop him.

Only the Sharingan eyes remained.

"Just flee from my grasp."

He left.

He was gone.

Gone.

And probably he'd been planning his escape for weeks, or maybe years or maybe forever. No-one could tell for sure.

That the perpetrator had run they knew.

And that Sakura's words had come true… They knew.

Their Hokage's form, lifeless, hit the ground, kneeling there, blood running his figure-

All ran to his aid, all to his side, all just to witness the empty, soulless look in his eyes.

"Medic team! Medic team! NOW!"

"Hokage-sama…"

"Hokage-sama!"

"Naruto, no…"

"MEDIC NIN!"

"Not necessary, the wounds are healing already. Hokage-sama, you'll be fine. The wounds are almost healed."

"I don't think so…" Kakashi's voice, worn out and coarse, sounded so foreign to the mind. The man pushed past all those running to and fro and crouched down by his ex-student, by the beloved and cherished Hokage, by the man broken. And right then, an expression of utmost regret and grief, crossed Kakashi's eyes.

"This wound, I think… Will never heal."

_Sasuke… _

Why?

Soul I end

Continued in.

Soul _II._

(~SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~ SoleisSoul~)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, but the story idea is mine alone.

**A/N:** Do you guys ever read these? Well, if not, well… Scroll to the bottom :D

Anyway :) Again, so many wonderful reviews for the last chapter… Damn D: Made me blush and stutter and titter and giggle and feel so, sooooo very grateful that I got you guys. Without you, the story would be a lot harder to write, so I appreciate each and every review. So thank you so much! x) Much love, guys! And keep them coming! Anyway, onto the less pleasant matters…

_Soul I has ended at last._

A long chapter, but it couldn't have gone any other way. Did you expect the ending? Probably not, even if a few chapters back I'd basically told you Sasuke had betrayed Naruto. But, wait, did he really? I mean, the seal and how could he ever break a seal that's essentially his soul?

_See, that's where sole really beings_. **Here and now.** Sole I was essential to start the story, but Sole II continues it, _Sole II tells the real story_… You need to know what's happening. What's really happening between Naruto and Sasuke. Why Sasuke did what he did, what forced his hand… And if it, in turn, will force Naruto's…

So if what you've been reading so far isn't the(ir) real story, what is? If the seal isn't the real reason, what is? Oh, boy, still missing so many important bits and pieces, still that essential flashback. Should I show you? Should you see? Oh, yes… _All in due time._

**In the meantime, what do you think of the secret?** A couple of times it was called as actually quite small and insignificant, yet still Shikamaru's estimations were so correct… It led to that moment when Sasuke turned his blade on his most precious person. And that, doesn't it, exists in such a terrible contrast to the kiss they'd shared just, maybe, minutes prior to the betrayal… What is happening? The kissing, the touching, but then so much hurt… The story, m'dears, is a complex one, but I can't wait to share more. I know many things don't make sense, even if in this particular chapter I've left you dozens of little hints.

Possibly, they are to be overlooked, but in that case I suggest rereading the story once it's finished…

…Oh, gods, I need to stop this whole mystery fog outta me bum thing that I have going on D: It's sort of annoying me, too… Ehm. And today was my last exam. If I passed, the next update will be on Wednesday, if I didn't, then Thursday, possibly Friday.

_**And this chapter is way too long and I had too little time to properly proof-read it, so forgive any spelling mistakes.**_

And you're still totally welcome to IM me. **AIM: Eiensama** : ) Pop in with questions, inquiries, suggestions, thoughts and ideas and, well, you can tots ask me how the story is going, really. Anything. I'd love to hear from you! x)) That is… if you read this long-winded A/N ._.

_In next chapter, there is so much pain, there is so much of all those things wrong and plain, plain… cruel and people work and work and work and rebuild and work and work and Naruto… Naruto prevails, Naruto lies, Naruto's charade and façade, all but a lie and Sasuke's betrayal isn't all that meets the eye and secrets only start pouring out of their hiding and spreading around… Behold the eye of the beholder. _

**Rating:** PG-13 for themes, blood, swearwords (most of which have yet to make an appearance).

**Summary:** At twenty two, Naruto has achieved all; a Hokage at last, a man respected and loved, he rules his nation with compassion and understanding, bringing together lost families and friends, and disposing of those that dare oppose his peace. And Sasuke ever-so-faithfully stands by his side, an unchanging status for almost six years, and after these six years, people, villagers, their teachers and friends finally start to ask: "What is happening between Naruto and Sasuke?"

**Setting:** Six years after the Fourth Ninja War, so all ages have been changed accordingly. Naruto is the Hokage, but how exactly he achieved the status will be revealed step-by-step, along with many other details related to the "rookie nine" and all other characters.

**Warning:** There will be no OCs, only, perhaps, some OOCness which I'm partial to as anyone else, so that's excusable. Don't go around calling this yaoi, as Sole isn't yaoi, it's _shounen-ai_. The purpose of this story is not to indulge anyone's perverse fantasies involving Sasuke and Naruto, but to elaborate further on the complex relationship they share as demonstrated in both manga and anime. With that said, I **love** the pairing, but I'm not promising anything. _Story will contain basic Japanese honorifics._

Thanks for reading. Remember to R&R! x)

If you have any questions, add them in a review or message me personally :)


	10. Chapter 9

Soul II

Chapter_Nine

_I w__**o**__nder_

"Unfortunately, we haven't much to report. There have been no sightings of him since; we can't find him, can't track him down and even using our dogs proved to be fruitless. This way, it's unfortunate, but the only thing we can assuredly claim is that Uchiha Sasuke has disappeared."

"The rebuilding of Konoha has begun; currently, we're assessing the damages, and our estimations show the whole process should be over within two weeks. By then, all of the damaged buildings should have been rebuilt and we've also received offers from other villages. As it appears, the information was leaked but so far there have been no attempts at using this disadvantageous situation against us. We can only hope this stance holds."

"There have been no life-threatening injuries and other than shocked, all the wounded appear to be alright with high recovery rate; already, most have been healed, so we're expecting no issues in this area and our medic nin are working hard to ensure all have left the hospital by the end of this week."

"In regards to the chaos, however… The news has spread faster than we'd initially suspected and we'd be right to guess that everyone in Konoha knows already. The search parties also can't seem to keep their mouth shut and we're receiving dozens of letters from all across the country… It's only a matter of time before even the others react… People are panicking. They're asking questions, requesting that he be taken down…"

"In all honesty, I'd reckon the situation to be far worse than that, given how the people are trying to keep shut for our leader's sake, yet for how long remain a question… I dare not think about it, but we should… We should just come into terms with it. And he should, too."

"Exactly. We need to declare Uchiha Sasuke a missing nin."

Shikamaru lifted his head and directed his eyes at the group of jounin – one of them the dearest, darling father of his – positioned neatly one next to another, like the unified harbingers of doom, and allowed their hearts to be seized by fright and repulsion, as correctly they pinpointed the exact emotion possessing his eyes.

"No."

The dearest father, a man willful and strong, dared oppose and step forward. "What would you have us do, boy? For days we've waited. It's time to stop and admit the truth."

Shikamaru's eyes darkened, now a shade of coal, an unfeeling jewel. "So you would do it behind his back then?"

The man scoffed. "And you'd ask him personally?"

"It'd hurt him."

"He's already hurt enough, we all know, and it needs to be done. Besides, boy, telling him to make the announcement himself would be a greater stab in the back."

"You're wrong, tou-san." Shikamaru held back the surge of loathing. "He's already been stabbed in the back. This would be stabbing him in the front. And that, I believe, he'd appreciate a lot more. If you'd like to do it, go on, but I'd rather he be ready than unsuspecting and most astonished to find out Uchiha Sasuke is officially a hunted man. That is a step Naruto must take himself."

An ANBU spoke. "Are you speaking as his friend or an advisor?"

Shikamaru's eyes, the sharpened, poisoned arrow, landed on his shielded face. "Neither. I am speaking as his close friend and as man trusted with his secrets. The stupid job be damned."

At that, a troubled murmur vibrated through the air – and already thick, tense it was, the attributes further highlighted, and his father's eyes narrowed, a subsequent, dismissive motion with his head sent to Ino's father, who understood and took off, the others following in blind rush, before Shikamaru found himself under the old man's scrutinizing, pitiful eyes.

"When did I ever teach you to do that? Huh, troublesome boy…Shikamaru… Stop blaming yourself."

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you well, boy. After all, I did raise you." Almost nonchalantly, he shrugged, rolled his shoulders back, the posture seemingly relaxed – in such a stark contrast to his own.

He didn't want to hear it. So he hmp'd and stuck his hands in his pockets.

And the father's hand rested on the son's shoulder, a compassionate, feeling and strong hold.

"You foolish boy… It wasn't your fault. You could have never known what he was planning to do. There was no way for you to avoid it."

Still, though, it felt distant to him. Distant, for despite his ever gripping hold on reality, the fingers weren't all there, the body away, the senses numbed, the feelings cold, and in reality – it was just the wishful thinking that he had it, the portion of sanity.

In reality, he was but that fool imaging that straw and holding onto it, even if he already knew what blue depths engulfed him.

"Dad…"

Because of that.

"I know crying over spilt milk won't bring it back."

He had to shrug him off.

"But at least, I can show that much emotion."

The hand fell back.

Shikamaru lowered his eyes.

And didn't speak.

Only the man broke the silence. Shikamaru didn't hear his voice, didn't hear the tone, only the meaning unbidden bare and registered. "As you wish. You have your own duties now. Just remember, Shikamaru, that first and foremost, your loyalties must lie with Konoha…"

Gritted his teeth. "I know."

Silence… What was he thinking, Shikamaru wondered. And then-

A short, laugh, sympathy in the eyes. "Although for a leader like that, I could envision myself sacrificing all. Or maybe that's not how you see it, boy? You really are something."

Shikamaru's breath hitched in his throat.

Suddenly, the straw materialized. He saw himself staring at it, clueless at what to do.

His father leaned against the wall and looked out, maybe eyes momentarily glued to the radiant afterglow of work well-done combined with sunset as Konoha sprang to life, or maybe just giving him the space to think

Shikamaru's hands balled into fists-then relaxed.

He sighed.

"I'm sorry, that was uncalled for."

"Hm, no, it's alright. The leader isn't just someone conveniently chosen to stand at the top of our hierarchy. It's also a person dear to our hearts. And someone that helps us raise the next generation of kings, eh?"

"Heh…" What a fool he really was. "You're right."

He looked out the window. The dark corridors of the Hokage tower, previously seen engulfed by thick tendrils of smoke, appeared pristine clean and better than ever before. And of course they would have fixed those first, of course Yamato would have considered that situation firsthand, but still walking down the flooring that had only days ago been in ruins filled him with a sense of detachment.

After a while, his father spoke. "How is he?"

Shikamaru blinked. "Naruto, eh?"

"Yes."

"Huh… He speaks, he eats, he sleeps, he issues commands, he assigns teams, he does his job… But frankly, I have no idea what's going on in his mind. He acts like everything is alright, even if everyone can see the light gone from his eyes. But I know he wakes up at night, I know he doesn't sleep well, and I know he barely eats and speaks only if necessary… As if to reassure you he was alive so you could bugger off with your incessant worries and leave him to his musings. I know he's suffering. If only I could get him to admit it."

He cursed.

He cursed Sasuke, he cursed Naruto, he cursed himself, he cursed their glorified inability to act. He cursed that look in Naruto's eyes, that way he'd been ripped to shreds that night, the way Sasuke had cursed him, the way he'd placed that curse on him.

He cursed so…_ freaking much._

"It… would be progress. In comparison to this…" commented his father. "Hm… Boy, I need to get back to work. There's still much to do. In the meantime… Do something about our Hokage, would you?" He pushed his form off the wall and managed a small, helpless sigh. "After all, without him, even despite the situation, or mostly because of it, the village will crumble. He is our Hokage and our most cherished person."

The man made a few steps away from Shikamaru, before stopping and – back turned to the son, hands stuck in the pockets in a nonchalant manner – speaking once more and the last time.

"We need him, Shikamaru."

He watched the father leave. The words, however, did not.

In his mind, Shikamaru agreed.

_We do need you, Naruto…_

And once more, his hands balled into fists, this time not to unclench.

_And I need my friend back._

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

"Here, look… Here it is."

"I see…" He walked over, crouched down to take a look, subsequently straightened out and sighed. "So that's how they got to Konoha… Sasuke's old home."

Yamato's brows knitted together. "This is terrible… All this time."

Kakashi shared this particular sentiment. "Indeed it is…"

"We should notify the others," murmured Yamato, but Kakashi could sense disagreement in his voice, as if even Yamato himself didn't believe what he was saying.

Odd, really. Maybe the misgivings of the past days had been too great an ordeal to handle even for the stoic man.

Kakashi looked back at the trap door. No-one could have seen it, no-one could have guessed the in the middle of the kitchen where years ago together the family had dined, unsuspecting so far of the fate that awaited them, Sasuke had dug up a tunnel.

It was really was a tunnel, wasn't it?

He contemplated the situation for a moment, surveying the small hole where only one person at a time could fit, one person exactly of Sasuke's size or maybe slightly bigger, looking down at the ground six feet below and pondering to himself where it led.

Where, indeed.

"Well, off I go then."

Yamato shot him a wild look. "What? You don't mean-Kakashi-senpai, that's dangerous," hissed the man hurriedly, but Kakashi only smiled and without further ado jumped down.

What accompanied him was Yamato's frantic cursing and flailing; no doubt, the man was torn between letting the others know and jumping after him, but wisely he moved aside for moments later Yamato was jumping down the hole, too, landing silently, elegantly like a cat, right next to him.

And looking at him like he was ready to burst crying.

Really, Kakashi had not forced his hand, right? Right. So he smiled despite the gravity of the situation and looked around to assess the situation.

Well lit the tunnel was, with lights hanging up and running along either side, the ceiling high enough that no bumping of heads would occur, yet the tunnel wasn't all too wide, a certain sense of urgency and spite engraved into the walls, as if with that precise emotion Sasuke had built it, as if with that thought on his mind he'd created this perfectly symmetrical place, a bunker, a hiding place of sorts, that despite its size felt firm and strong, never to falter underneath pressure, never to be affected by any happenings above ground.

It was, as Kakashi felt, all too perfect.

Yamato coughed. "Does Sasuke know any earth jutsu?"

"The Uchiha clan has only ever had an affinity for fire jutsu, but I suppose Sasuke could have learned something while apprenticing under Orochimaru. Of course, we'd need to ask Sasuke himself to confirm our suspicions, but that isn't likely at the moment." He paused. "But I understand what you're getting at; it's unlikely Sasuke could have built this using his bare hands."

Worriedly, Yamato looked around. "It would have taken him months."

"Months indeed. Well, let's see what's at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully not light, eh?"

"Eh?"

Kakashi suppressed the desire to sigh heavily. "Never mind. Let's move before anyone's alerted by our disappearance."

"Kakashi-senpai, that wasn't funny," muttered the man under his breath, prompting an amused chuckle from Kakashi that could have lightened up the mood, hadn't it been for the lights and the walls and the ground, all built with sickening, monstrous precision as in to invoke feelings of most suppression and regress. Kakashi would know. He felt it. Already, firmly and strongly, he did.

Shaking himself out of the stupor, he walked on, Yamato in tow.

The risks were high as Sasuke could have left them a small surprise, a trap of sorts, and Kakashi's keen senses hardened after the years remained still on watch, all of the surrounding area scrutinized closely, but despite that he felt pushed forward, the drive inside him fueled and intoxicated on the display of hate and love he'd seen, the exchange between Naruto and Sasuke fluidly transpiring in front of them. He felt it course in his veins, knew its presence to be clouding his judgment, knew himself to be succumbing to the desire to find out and search on – and knew it to be his possible downfall.

It acted an obstacle to life, the need to know.

But he could have cared less.

Eventually and not eventually at all, for the word itself suggested a certain passing of time visible as per request on the worry-strewn faces of the present party, they came upon the end of the tunnel, confronted with a blank, empty wall, with no sighs at all of any significant changes that would signalize a certain something that with its very existence set it apart from everything else, yet Kakashi wasn't convinced of the innocence of the wall.

"There's nothing… as it appears," came Yamato's supposedly impassive voice, full of disbelief and doubt.

Kakashi's brows wrinkled. "This really is too simple," he said, hand automatically stretched forward to land flat against the wall, as if a touch could dispel all deceit, but what he felt was the cold, unfeeling caress of the ground, similar to the one below his feet-

-feet?

He looked down. And took a few steps back.

"Is that… A seal? Looks remarkably similar to summoning jutsu."

"Ah, I suppose that'd be another thing Sasuke could have learned from Orochimaru, maybe," said Kakashi back, crouching down for the second time within the last ten minutes and marveling at the thing so skillfully drawn on the ground, the lines clean and the shade of scorched meat just one bit darker than the ground itself.

"It's no wonder we didn't notice it immediately," commented Yamato, eyes narrowing at what could have been confused for a picture at any time of a day, and Kakashi noted the slight edge to his voice.

"Hm, I'm not particularly experienced when it comes to seals. We'll need to a call a specialist to take a look, although just judging by its placement, it's easy to conclude it was used to teleport inconspicuously outside the walls of Konoha."

Yamato's brows wrinkled together. "If the perpetrators used this to stealthily infiltrate Konoha, it means there's another seal somewhere outside which acts as both an entrance and exit. Exactly like this one. That could be dangerous." A sharp intake of breath was taken. "The potential risk is high. Who knows how many of these has Sasuke kept and even their exact whereabouts pose a great number of problems. Kakashi-senpai, we need to notify the search party immediately."

"Hm… We do."

He didn't want to admit to himself that his voice was shaking. After all, it hadn't been given a reason so far, so why the incessant reminder, why the constant prodding and poking at the mind, as if so diligent in its attempts to make its presence known that it'd forgone all real facts? May have been just his whimsical wishing then, may have been a mere result of his wishful thoughts, may have been nothing more – that shaking of his voice – than the thoughts of his turned into a bundle of emotions so tight and small, all of it encompassed within, all pressured with the steam held inside just as well, were hoping to break free – or, at least, hoping to mar a portion of his tangible existence with their presence.

Maybe, that really was a sign that it was all too much for one man to handle.

But then, he was not one but many, he was Legion, so if Legion would falter underneath the pressure…

"A pity, though. I wish we had more information than this," Yamato was saying as both exited the tunnel, re-emerging back inside the darkness and dampness of the Uchiha household, wherein the lack of existence of any light whatsoever made it appear even eerier than the tunnel beneath, and a quicksand to all thoughts it acted, sending them sinking downwards, slowly, painfully, as if to inflict as much terror and horror on him, for even as Kakashi mechanically explained their findings to the first jounin to enter through the door, even if his voice no longer shaking carried no signs of any changes, even then he couldn't help but compare the place to a horror mansion.

Even then, he couldn't help but wonder – if Legion failed, what could one man do?

How could the sole hero prevail, succeed where they didn't?

How, first and foremost, most importantly and last, but not least of all-

… How could Naruto cope and bear the burden of all, if but one he was?

"Quickly send the word to everyone else. The exits must be found no matter what."

Idly, Kakashi looked at Yamato.

And frowned.

_Naruto, how long before even you kneel next to Legion?_

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

"Bad news is, the autopsies didn't reveal much… Only the things we already know. Good news, they really were just tools."

Sakura hang her head. "I see… So we're still clueless."

Tsunade, oddly mellowed and composed, leaned forward, hands spread out on the autopsy table now missing a body, body weight shifted, a strained, perhaps fatigued look, moaning beseechingly at everything around.

"Unfortunately… This is as far as we'll get. To be honest, I wasn't getting my hopes up, Sakura. No-one really was. I didn't personally believe that these bodies would show anything the previous hadn't and doubted Sasuke would have let us a tutorial on how to search them properly for any clues. I suppose it was worth a shot, though. At least now we know for sure that Sasuke's method didn't vary from a person to person."

Her heart constricted. Despite that, Sakura indulged her shishou back. "Yes, all were put under the same mind-controlling jutsu and all suffered from same malnutrition and neglect. After all, living on soldier pills is… Well. Huh… Maybe I was hoping for something different," she added under her breath, a faraway look cast in her pondering eyes.

Tsunade grimaced.

With nothing else to say, they lapsed into silence relatively short-lived – or it could have been Sakura's mind filling the void in-between with dark whispers and coarse words, before they broke out and she was talking again, the feminine, delicately toned voice of hers echoing about in the large and dark autopsy room.

"Shishou, I am thinking, or… asking myself… how long?"

"This question has already been answered, Sakura," came the brisk reply.

Sakura's eyes turned to meet her master's stern gaze.

After a moment, the sternness dispersed.

"Fine. You want to hear it again… Beats me why, but you might have a reason I don't understand. Frankly, maybe hearing it again will clarify things for me a bit more too. So again, Sakura…" Tsunade paused and leaned back, but the distance didn't work at all. Still the oppression was in her eyes. "Judging by the resources, the level of training and physical state, our estimations show that Sasuke must have been planning his betrayal for at least a year. Just gathering all these people and building a hide-out to go to plan further would have been a very difficult job, mostly given how Naruto's victory over Madara and Sasuke's previous past brought a lot of unwanted attention to Sasuke. So it would have taken him a long time."

Another pause.

Sakura had heard this explanation before. Twice, if she remembered correctly, and neither time had left her any wiser. Despite her deep most knowledge, still she remembered the wording, the order of the information – still she knew what would come next and she, somehow, found herself holding her breath and anticipating the moment.

Tsunade, blind in her naught to that, didn't disappoint. "And how the seal falls in that, how Sasuke could have evaded imminent death, escaped from its clutches and even destroyed it, as he claimed… That, which we don't know, might just be the biggest mystery of all."

The seal.

To this story, she could listen at any day of the day, all over again, because it soothed her to see the absurdity and contradiction in it.

"How could he? According to what Naruto told us-well, what he told me and what Iruka-sensei shared with us, the mere thought of betraying Naruto and hurting so many villagers ought to have killed Sasuke."

"Maybe," admitted Tsunade and a wince followed that Sakura had not expected. "That is all true, Sakura, I'm not denying that, but we also have to admit that the villagers were only barely hurt. The most injuries they sustained were from collapsed buildings and at one point or another, we all admitted the fight had been too easy."

Slowly, the woman walked around the table, but Sakura didn't mistake the gesture for attempting to round on her and make her feel cornered.

A pity she did, though. Cornered in her little world, refusing to listen on as she suspected she wouldn't like what came next.

After a moment, casting a savage, lost look around at the bodies stacked neatly behind the wall opposite them, Tsunade continued. "From experience, we all know the lethality of one sole ninja and what a dozen of them could do… that goes without saying that we'd best not wish to encounter such a group. Still we did and still, if you put aside the minor things, we came out essentially unscathed. This is nothing in comparison to what Pain did to Konoha, nothing to what Orochimaru left behind and nothing to what Madara did."

She hated it. Both of them did. But Sakura still saw a portion of truth behind those words. Unwillingly, she backed down and sighed. "Yes, despite their size, they were defeated too easily. I dare not assume our ninja to be powerful enough to handle a vigilante group like that, but if I were to judge just by how quickly it was solved… I'd have to conclude there wasn't a nation more powerful than ours."

It might have been a figment of her imagination.

It might have really been that her words echoed about ominously, becoming a harbinger of doom.

Tsunade inclined her head to the side in agreement and sighed. "Exactly."

Sakura looked down at her feet. "Are you saying Sasuke didn't necessarily break the rules?"

"Well, the villagers were hurt, but again, as I said, the assailants didn't actually wound anyone. In fact, one jounin swore to me he witnessed a particularly curious moment when one assailant had the opportunity to strike a villager, but instead of doing so he froze… He attacked only when the jounin did. And then fell. I'm not trying to justify anything or anyone. What they did – what Sasuke did, was still a stab in the back, but if they'd been fully powered, fully intent on hurting… I don't what to imagine what we'd be dealing with now. Perhaps dozens of people dead, gravely wounded, with life-threatening injuries…"

"Shishou?"

"Nothing, Sakura. I feel strange, that is all."

"Strange? Why…?"

"I believe… you might get it. I honestly don't know what to say to Naruto now. I can't even…" She shook. And turned her back to the young kunoichi. "I can't even look at him without flinching. And now, I feel utmost guilt, because I am glad that Sasuke had evaded the seal this well, I am glad he acted a genius in his own category and acted this stealthily. That we don't have dead at our hands…"

It was from guilt that she shook. The sensation gripped her firm, sending thick, heavy rippling waves all over her body, consuming her fully and intent upon being her inevitable doom-

-until Sakura stepped forward and placed a hand on her master's shoulder.

At once, the shaking ceased.

Wondrous, the woman looked at her over her shoulder and Sakura greeted her flabbergasted, guilt-ridden expression with a serene, faint smile.

"Tsunade-sama." What was she to say? Something advised her on this intricate matter and even if Sakura didn't understand that well what was possessing her to speak those words, she remained confident in the newly regained vigor, in the determined and passionate I striking a conversation with all the forlorn corners of her mind. "Don't blame yourself, Tsunade-sama. Together, we'll solve this."

Maybe, she could have agreed. Said she, too, felt the same, for wasn't it the knowledge of not being the only one in this universe feeling so that acted the only source of safe confinement? Wasn't it knowing that you weren't the only person around that had you feeling better? As if the knowledge of others in pain and gripped by agony was losing its qualities and becoming the long-awaited news of the golden ages arrival.

This human quality, this thing making them all human – Sakura couldn't have committed to it.

Besides, she knew her shishou better than most, better than, at given times, the master herself.

And the master appreciated it.

For she sent Sakura back a tiny, essentially non-existent smile, moving out of Sakura's reach, turning around and assuming the posture that reclaimed all lost land, dominated all ground around and again returned to her the role of the leader she possessed so skillfully.

"We will, Sakura. A pity that we know so little… In order to confirm our suspicions, we'd need to ask Sasuke, and without Sasuke around to humor us, there's only one person with the answers…"

Sakura's smile grew and turned bitter. "Naruto… won't tell us a thing. Even if he knew…"

"It might be that he doesn't know at all, actually. After all, Naruto can tell us only as much as he knows… But right now, asking him would be fruitless."

"Yes… I heard they want to denounce Sasuke a Konoha nin."

"Makes sense. Of course, they won't really do that…"

"Not without Naruto…" Sakura's brows knitted together. "I really wish we'd seen this coming. We did have the answer not that long ago, but we dismissed it… I dismissed it."

"Don't blam-"

"_I don't."_

Tsunade blinked.

Sakura met her wide, bewildered eyes and recognized the offended I in them. She smiled at her master, body relaxed and hands hanging comfortably by her side. "I refuse to, maybe. Or, maybe, I just can't. And don't want to… I tormented myself, I made myself the martyr and I was such a sad little nobody… That can no longer happen. That mustn't ever repeat itself. I acted so foolishly, shishou, wallowing in self-pity, acting like it was me that needed nursing, when I should consider myself lucky. I am alive and well and I don't have the twisted, strange bond like Naruto does. True, what we had might have garnered an unnecessary want to destroy from Sasuke, but I'm determined to set things right. I am, shishou, determined to finally play an active role in this."

"Even if it means further forsaking Sasuke?"

"Yes. First and foremost, our loyalties lie with Konoha. It's…"

"Unfortunate, huh? Can you really combine those two well, Sakura, or will you fail trying?"

"I won't try." Her smile widened. "I'll simply do it."

Tsunade, maybe despite her best wishes, smiled just as well. "I have to admit, this new-old Sakura I like. Alright then, Sakura, do whatever you must."

"Yes."

_Whatever I must I will do, Naruto. Can you hear me? Can you see me? Or is Sasuke still the only thing on your mind? _

Sakura glanced in the direction of the door, sensing a person approaching.

A jounin entered, briefing them on the new findings.

Only light-heartedly, Sakura listened, while in her thoughts she kept returning to the one and only, to the Hokage and leader now lost.

_Will you hear us out, Naruto? Will you yield? Naruto… What will you do now…_

_Now that your most cherished person has gone?_

_Now that you really look so sole…_

_Naruto…_

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

He shivered.

Outside, the weather had yet to yield, acting independently from the happenings inside the village, the sun blazing hot, the wind pleasantly chilly, the sky a perfectly painted veil, all screaming at the world below to discard its worries and be happy.

He couldn't have agreed more.

But the situation didn't call for his happiness, unfortunately, and he, just one of the many jounin living in the village, hadn't a choice but to follow his orders and be unhappy.

And he didn't want to.

He didn't want to go there.

Go inside, see him, be smitten with grief – because even from where he stood, just outside the door, he could feel it; an unimaginable force seeped through the wooden door, infecting all surroundings. Maybe it was grief, but in that case as any other regular human being with emotions and other tidbits of life that went along with it he should have been capable of handling it, already a few steps ahead with his knowledge interwoven into every step he took, but in that case, why did it feel like not even thousand years of living and suffering could save him from damnation?

Damnation from liberation.

And liberation from pain.

Pain wrought by the most cherished person.

The cherished person a hideous, ethereal man.

Hard he swallowed, the Adam's apple bobbing up and down nervously, and shook himself from the stupor, fingers finally curling around the handle, force applied and the door slowly and carefully swung open, as too long a time he'd wasted just contemplating the situation, too long the minutes eternally lost now as he'd rather indulged his fears instead of committing properly to his job, and it wasn't nearly as grievous a task as some others, not quite as perturbing as some would have thought, so with that on his mind he stepped in-

He almost choked.

The air inside… So heavy. And the sun streaming in so… blinding.

It felt like… Gods, he couldn't even put a finger to it. It was so-

So-

He put his hand over his mouth and swallowed back the bile.

And looked up.

He was there. Back turned to him, figure enveloped by the sun but, despite that, managing to look dreary and horrific, with a dark, contagious aura spreading from him in waves, the office of his embraced fully in it and it was definitely that at fault for the air inside the room made impossible to breathe, or how all surfaces seemed to deflect all warmth instead of welcoming it, how still the floor under his feet felt so icy and unfeeling.

Like someone, not a long time ago, had perished there. And their soul, despicable, still would linger there.

To pierce through that, naturally carrying through the air seamlessly, as if born into these circumstances, his voice came, devoid of any emotion, just as stone cold as all around him.

"_What do you want?"_

"Ho-… Hokage-sama!" He gathered himself, quick, made a step forward, but his own senses screamed at him, an alarm in his head going CRAZY AND WARNING AND SAYING BACK OFF-

_-what is this fear? It's like I'm choking… what is…_

Tearing up. Coughing. Choking on this.

_What is this… Hokage-sama, what have you done to yourself?_

"I-I come bearing news, Hokage-s-sama," he choked out, eyes directed at the ground. He felt the denseness disappear, or momentarily subside and felt immensely grateful for it… Although it answered none of his questions, each arising with every new second to tick by. "Um, the reports say that Uchiha-san has yet to be found. There are no traces of him. His old home was searched and a summoning jutsu had been placed in the tunnel he'd dug underneath the kitchen. Currently, there are search parties scouting the area for more similar seals but to no avail so far."

"Is that all?"

Still unfeeling. As if… dead?

The jounin frowned. "Hokage-sama, are you alright?"

"Is that all?"

"Hokage-sama…?"

Nothing. Honestly, he might have been an animated corpse… He felt a surge of worry hit him. "Hokage-sama, are you-"

"Notify me if you hear anything else."

"I-"

"Is that all?"

"I… I…" The man's lower lip quivering. _Why won't you look at me, Hokage-sama?_ "The autopsies revealed nothing. Also, things are going quite well with, er, rebuilding and the wounded are healing alright. Thankfully, the damages aren't too serious and people seem to be recovering quite fast."

"I see."

_Hokage-sama, please, look at me… Please look at me._

Nothing.

Nothing.

God-damned, sniveling little _nothing._

"That… I have, er, the report, I can leave it on your table."

He hesitated. Then, as the Hokage didn't speak even after almost a minute, he carefully laid the documents on the table, tiptoeing forward and then tentatively standing there to watch the man so close and yet so far.

Their Hokage-sama was just at the window, a few, pathetic feet from him and he could easily walk around the table and force his attention, but he just…

_I… I can't._

Instead, the jounin watched their Hokage's back.

And something about the sight of it made his heart cry.

Giving up, he stepped back, hung his head and said-"That… that would be all, Hokage-sama. You will be notified of any updates. At… at the moment, we'll just continue searching…"

"Alright. Go."

"Um, Hokage-sama, I… are you-"

"Go."

"Are you alrig-"

"Go."

_Go._

"I…"

Go.

Go.

_Go._

The cursed word.

"… Alright."

He went.

The door creaked as it closed, the hinges moaning beseechingly, the side eventually connecting with threshold, the space cut nonexistent, until it snapped shut and the jounin-

"Oh my god I nearly died there,"-all but crawled to the opposite wall, body impacting with it, sliding further away from the wretched office, eyes wide and puffy and voice high-pitched and merciful.

Ignoring the flabbergasted look of a nearby ANBU guard to see the show, he panted heavily, the core of his being ever-so-scornful and withered.

"I can't have been that bad," commented the ANBU and the jounin stared at his own feet.

"AAhhh…. I-I suppose so? No, it was-frankly, so terrifying, I-he looked… he looked…" And then, he couldn't even speak.

The ANBU shook his head. "You volunteered, I heard."

"Er, yes… No-one wanted to go, we were drawing straws… I lost anyway and I didn't think much of it but damn… It feels like I've just lost ten years of my life."

"Heh… You do look a bit unnerved."

"Unnerved? Well, yes, I suppose so…"

"Did you give him the message?"

"Some of it…"

"Some of it? Jeez, don't tell me you failed."

"I, well, gave him the report? He should read it, right?"

"He should."

The jounin's brows connected to form one straight, thick line over his eyes. "You do… So even you can't be sure… Well, alright then."

"Go relax."

"I need to go join the search teams. But in comparison to this, it could be called relaxing, I think… At either regard." Having composed himself at last, he pushed himself off the wall, trying to dismiss the memory of His figure-

-his figure, so… so…

"Strange."

The ANBU had just turned around to join the other guards, but stopped at once, shooting, probably, a questioning look at the jounin's direction, whose nose had scrunched up and a ponderous look marred his features now.

When he didn't continue, the ANBU shrugged. "Was it?"

"What? No-I… I…"

He recalled it. Vividly. And would remember it for a long, long time afterwards, his figure, so-"Did Hokage-sama lose weight?"

"Huh?"

"I…" Still he thought about it. Still his back. Still… in great detail… "Just now, when I was talking to him, his back seemed so… small."

The ANBU eyed him, not speaking for a moment, before his voice, confidently bold, penetrated the silence. "I don't know. To be honest, I haven't even looked at him in days, but we can't be troubled by that at moment. If he lost weight, he'll gain it back once he snaps out of it."

"What if he doesn't? It's been days already and he's just getting worse…"

"In that case… Konoha will lose two ninja."

"You'd have him replaced? That is-"

"Outrageous?" The ANBU sighed. Only then did the jounin notice the slight quiver in his voice; a good actor he might have been, still he had lots to learn. "Maybe, but Konoha comes first. Even he knows that. He might have suffered heartbreak, but he still does his job. That's important. And for as long as that doesn't change, there will be no need for a new Hokage. I am afraid, however, that until then, his welfare and well-being come second to those of our villagers. And you know that."

He let the words sink, before continuing.

"That doesn't mean, however, that I am blind to what is happening to him. I hope he's not lost weight. I hope his back hasn't gotten smaller. Truly, I wish we'd get our Hokage back."

The jounin's gaze softened.

Behind the mask, the ANBU was suffering.

Experiencing the pain along with their beloved Hokage. And he, that jounin, one of the many, felt the agony just as well.

Longingly, he looked at the door leading to his office, longingly, he gazed at the wall separating them, longing, just as every other soul in their country, for their beloved and cherished Hokage to smile again.

Behind the mask, the ANBU's expression contorted into one of anguished hope.

"I hope… I really, really do…"

_Hokage-sama…_

_Please, come back to us._

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

_Curiously, he stared at the present party._

_And damn… Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan and Sai sure looked tense… Wait, what was the word…_

_Daaaamn-oh, yeah… Grim._

_They looked grim._

_Hell, even baa-chan was looking like something had gotten her titties in a twist, and some huge titties those were, not that he'd ever admit that out loud to her… Really, Naruto didn't fancy losing his head over a woman – literally – just yet. _

_Oh, right, and there was also Shikamaru standing at the far corner of the room – ashamed, huh? Bet he did something that pissed baa-chan off, che, suited him right – and the two geezers that always meddled in when it came to political affairs. Honestly, Naruto thought Tsunade should just thwack them and show them their place and not let either sit by her side and act so obviously nosy and bossy even if no-one was saying anything yet._

_Saying. Right, that reminded him-_

_Naruto crossed his hands over his chest, thrust said chest forward, curled the lower lip over the upper and glowered at everyone present._

"_Why did you call us here, granny?"_

"_Granny" glowered back. "Naruto, watch your language."_

_Naruto managed an over-dramatic "hmp" before once more looking around questioningly. Really… They did look grim. _

_Huh…_

_Warier of the situation now, caution embedded into every step, he directed his eyes on the one person he'd affectionately come to call as "granny". _

"_What's going on?"_

_This time, she didn't tell him a word-this time, she was meant to._

_As the silence dragged further on, a sinking feeling settled itself in the pit of his stomach, at first but a small bud, but eventually growing, the fertile land of his doubt feeding it immense strength – until Naruto's brows wrinkled and Tsunade leaned forward, a worn out, bedazzled look of shame in her eyes._

"_I asked all of you to come because what I have to share concerns you all. Mostly, Naruto, it concerns you."_

"_Huh… Me?"_

_Tsunade's eyes narrowed. She was hesitating, wasn't she? Obviously tentative, refusing to speak up-was she afraid of something? But why…_

"_Baa-chan? Is everyth-"_

"_As of today, Sasuke is once more announced a Konoha ninja."_

"_Wh…"_

"_Today, we are releasing Sasuke. He is a free man."_

_He could have felt anger._

_He could have felt anger so much._

_He could have felt it gnaw at his insides, make him cough them up, wreak so much havoc in his mind that maddening it was-_

_-could have?_

_It was._

_Naruto's knees buckled-and a sing-song, a lulling sweet symphony, yet infectious spread about in his mind, all thoughts a rampaging stampede, all of him confused deeply and immensely drowning in the sensation, in the gratuitous gratification, in the-not so… Strong._

_Good._

_Good._

_So… so very… good. _

_So…_

"_Sasuke is back."_

_Ha-ha._

_Did he know, did he realize? He'd laughed-was smiling now, a stupid, wide, desperate grin on his face._

"_Sasuke… is back."_

_Sasuke._

_You're back._

_BACKBACKBACKBACK-he snickered._

_And relished._

_Relished… But._

_But… No. No._

_Wait-they were-Naruto's eyes widened. Realization struck him._

"_That's not what you wanted to tell me, is it, baa-chan?"_

_All the said baa-chan could do, his dearest, most cherished baa-chan in the world, whom he could hug and embrace for the rest of his life and thank the gods above, or any other being hidden there between the clouds, for granting him with a person this endearing and his, someone made to fit him, love and treasure him, someone to-someone to look him in the eye this way._

_This fearfully._

_So much that all memories of smiling a mere second ago were brutally admonished._

_So much that Naruto frowned. "What is it?"_

_Tsunade-Tsunade it was now, for it was the Hokage speaking-took in a sharp intake of breath-"It has been decided that Sasuke is not allowed to roam the village free. He's proven himself a dangerous man before, a liability, if you must, and we cannot afford the history to repeat itself. You understand that, don't you?"_

"_Yes, Hokage-sama," responded Kakashi much faster than Naruto's mind could process the information, but he didn't add anything afterwards, even if every part of him was screaming at him to do so, for surely accusing Sasuke of such atrocities – didn't they know he'd made his amends?_

_Didn't they-_

_Did he?_

Do I know… Do I…?

_Di-… he… He gripped the hem of his sleeves._

_At her own pace, Tsunade continued-and her eyes slipped close. "We cannot trust Uchiha Sasuke. It's far too early for any explicit exchanges of trust and based on his behavior so far it'd be safe to assume he isn't nearly quite as happy to be here as… Ah."_

"_That's understandable, shishou," muttered Sakura, deceit in the tenderness of her voice._

_Sai inclined his head to the side. "If I understand the situation correctly, you're saying that Uchiha Sasuke-san can't be left alone."_

"_Yes…" And the eyes opened._

_Swirling in them, impossibly shallow and almost spilling from the corners, was-pity._

_Pity for… who? Briefly, Naruto looked around. Briefly, to better understand. But if she wasn't looking at Sakura, if she wasn't looking at Sai, if she wasn't… looking at Kakashi…_

_A grotesque frown on her face. "It has been decided consensually that Uchiha Sasuke would be given the rank of genin, assigned missions and placed in a special team formed only for his sake, to avoid future problems but also to give him a chance to accommodate properly. We've waited far too long and we're doing this now. But."_

_But._

"_As I said before and as Sai correctly concluded, he'll need to be supervised. A man as dangerous as Sasuke who could lay Konoha to waste cannot under any circumstances roam this village without close supervision. You need to understand. We've thought this over and over again and each and every time the very same conclusion was reached. You need to understand that."_

_No, Tsunade wasn't looking at Kakashi. Not at Sakura. Not at Sai. And Shikamaru wasn't even in her line of vision._

_But that… didn't make any… s-_

"_Naruto."_

_-sense. Why would she… try so hard to get him to understand that? He did, definitely, it all made sense-Sasuke wasn't trustworthy, he'd need to earn his trust and that came with time and almost a year he'd been locked up with no ways of doing that-and if his memory didn't fail him, then also adamant in his refusal to say a word of cooperation, as Shikamaru had many times pointed out, so yeah, that was alright, that was-_

"_Naruto. You have to understand."_

"_What are you… saying, baa-chan?"_

_Hah. She really was being cryptic today, wasn't she? All kinds of secret keeping and stuff… And… Yeah. _

_He gave her a short, ludicrous laugh. "What are you saying?"_

_Come on, talk._

_Talk. Jeez, it can't be that hard, baa-chan… it's just saying it out loud, yeah? Yeah. And-_

_-why, why why WHY were they all looking at him – Kakashi and Sakura and Sai and Shikamaru and the two stupid elders he so detested seated by her side – as if he were an unfortunate victim of a freak accident?_

_Why._

_It made… Now this made no sense whatsoever – he kept telling himself, kept firmly convincing himself of-and-and… and._

_And._

_As if jammed, the breath failed him. He made – the low, guttural choking sound, before-_

"_What?"_

_What… What are you…_

_Baa-chan, Tsunade… why are you…_

_Still, marble – the voice. Carved into the thin air, made to resemble with exaction the acidity of decision. _

"_A decision has been made, Naruto, that seeing as you are the only person who's ever managed to defeat Sasuke and who is on par with Sasuke in terms of skill and sheer power, that you should become his guardian. Consider it a long term A-class mission if you will. Your mission, Uzumaki Naruto, will be to supervise Sasuke 24/7, to keep watch over him at day and night and report any suspicious activities. To enable this, we have already made arrangements, so that you could calmly execute your mission. For that, Uchiha Sasuke's belongings, or the little he had, have been moved to an apartment as we also saw that your place would be too small for the mission. We cannot spare any other ninja, so it'll be your job that you must commit to wholly and completely. Seeing as Sasuke has proven himself a threat to us all before, it's imperative he is stopped in time. We can't – I repeat, Naruto – we cannot simply afford to suffer the same as we had in the past." _

"_Hokage-sama…." Kakashi. Was this the right time to speak?_

Kakashi-sensei… why can't I even look at you…

_Kakashi muttered something – his voice disintegrated. _

_A hand was slammed down onto the table – one of the elders, no doubt, expressing their dislike with how the situation was unnecessarily dragged on, when in reality the matter in question was so very simple._

"_Enough of this. Hokage-sama, this is completely unnecessary. You swore to us you could handle it, yet minute after minute it's more obvious you've failed your words. It's time we fully explained the situation here ourselves. Uzumaki Naruto!"_

_Barked like a curse._

_Naruto's eyes bore into Tsunade's._

_Why. Why. WHY WHYWHYWHY YOU CURSED-why._

Just because. I saved him? But…

"_Child, this you cannot refuse. Even you must see, having fought the Uchiha boy yourself, that he's a great threat to us all and he must not be released. We must not relinquish our hold on him! His wrath is never to return. So you will remain by his side until the day he's earned his trust back. This comes in action starting now. Understand, also, that it takes precedence over any other command, Uzumaki Naruto."_

"_We also understand, Uzumaki Naruto, that you couldn't fully commit with all the baggage hindering you. We understand and for that – Team 7."_

"_Starting today-"-she was continuing. Tsunade. In a voice this dulled by ache, emptied by persuasion of penance. "As of today, on the orders of Hokage, Team 7 is officially disbanded. All members will be assigned to different teams and act accordingly. And Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke and Nara Shikamaru just recently promoted to jounin, will form a new team. Uzumaki Naruto is to send reports to me, the Hokage, on a weekly basis, and Shikamaru is to deliver them directly. From this day on, Uzumaki Naruto is never to leave Uchiha Sasuke's side."_

_Disbanded._

_And forever with Sasuke?_

_A surge._

"_NO!"_

"_Naruto!"_

_Hands holding him back, Sai and Kakashi, while the elders watched on coolly, not perturbed in the least by the display of emotions, but Tsunade was different; looking through him like she wasn't seeing him, but the Naruto and reaction from her worst nightmares brought to reality, carried over in secrecy and now snapped before her with a note that read "do not react"._

_But he needed it. Just that once wince as he struggled and fought, as he raged, as he screamed obscenities at her-_

"_Why, baa-chan, why? Disband my team? You're disbanding my team? Why-are you-this is insane, you can't do this-NO LET ME GO-baa-cha, you're insane!"_

"_Naruto, calm down."_

"_Naruto!"_

_Sai and Kakashi hissing and Sakura – standing there, worriedly, confusedly, the poor chap, the darling little child. _

"_Sakura-chan, why aren't you saying anything? Come on, anyone?" He whipped his head around wildly, eyes landing in turns on everyone once more-to see the no._

_The no in the faces, in the gestures and postures, in the eyes so pleading, telling him to stop, telling him-_

"_Uzumaki Naruto." The elder's voice filtered in the air, the toxic waste of their thoughts, and Naruto looked at her, telling himself his eyes weren't wide open with horror, that he wasn't nearly as mortified as her conceited, haughty expression suggested, that he'd also wake up quite soon to realize he'd dreamed himself the worst dream of all, one in which he was losing everything – just for the sake of nothing._

_Because Sasuke… Sasuke wouldn't… He didn't care. Sasuke was, you see-_

"_Did you or did you not bring the Uchiha back? We were under the impression that you'd trained under Jiraya-sama with the intention of becoming more powerful so you could face your lost teammate and bring him back. Eventually, you managed, and now you seem to have regretted making the decision. Is it true then? Was it all a lie? Have you wasted then four years of your life on nothing?"_

"_No, I-"_

"_So it is true, then. Did you not almost die?"_

I did… I did die. Don't you know? Don't you see?

"_Yes, but-"_

"_Did you not defeat him in the end?"_

"_I-"_

No.

I didn't. That's what you don't understand at all. I didn't defeat Sasuke… I lost to him.

"_Or maybe you are keeping something from us." The woman's eyes narrowed. And all eyes rested on him._

_This was his chance. Take advantage of if, say it-_

_Naruto looked at his own feet, brows knitted together, heart clenched. "No…"_

_One of the elders leaned back ever-so-slightly, peering up at him through half-narrowed eyes that had, in their years, seen the light of war, the night of terror, seen and understood the incomprehensible inquiries of life, and yet in this moment of sanctity remained the embodiment of ignorance, looking past him and seeing only the picture drawn into the wall, convenient, fake, conjured up._

_Naruto clenched his teeth. Slowly, he was released, with Kakashi and Sai stepping aside and his hands fell back by his body, as he'd flailed, floundered – and they'd deemed him dangerous. _

_Huh. How funny. To think-they'd thought him capable of…_

"_Again, did you or did you not, Uzumaki Naruto, spend four years of your life chasing after your ex-teammate, eventually found, overpowered and brought him back?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Do you understand the importance of this mission?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Will you struggle anymore?"_

"_No…"_

"_Will you commit to this mission as instructed to?"_

"… _Yeah."_

"_Is there anything we should know about? Anything, let's say, a secret, maybe? Anything you're keeping from us and may have been for a while?"_

_Kakashi. He could have fought. No? Maybe shielded them from the greedy touch of the authorities._

_Sakura. She ought to have appealed to her master. No? Maybe covered them under her healing touch._

_Sai. He would have spoken to the elders on their behalf. No? As a member of their team, he understood – if only capable to._

_And Shikamaru. _

_One warning… would have helped._

_Naruto met the woman's eyes, his own blazing, scorching hatred hot, pestiferous the resentment blossoming for them._

"_No. There is nothing."_

_The elders exchanged a few knowing looks, as if all along they'd known of his compliance, and that only he hadn't been notified of it early enough to prepare accordingly, hence his outburst of emotions so unwelcome, so unbecoming. _

_Yet wise, strong they were, understanding, and immediately they warded him off afterwards, because a year they'd sacrificed on the insufferable man, a year of finances wasted on a person who'd so far been a really horrible piece of jewelry; though pretty to look and rare, of magnetizing quality and rich color, he'd chance upon the world of lost far too often to their liking, always out of their sight, always elsewhere on the ground or someone's pocket, never to be found where they'd left it the last time, never to fulfill its purpose, that pendant of sylphlike beauty with a penchant for coming back to the shadows._

_That stupid, useless Uchiha Sasuke. _

"_I'll show you your new place… First, we need to go get Sasuke. He's been released an hour ago, actually, but he was told to wait downstairs for you. He's already, um… He knows. He knows, Naruto. So…"_

_The door closed. _

_Tsunade wasn't coming._

_Naruto snarled. "Yeah. He knows. Let's go get him."_

"_Naruto-"_

"_Keep it, Shikamaru…" He noticed his team. His ex-team. That's what they all were. Standing there. If he didn't know better, he'd think they'd practiced, as all at once they managed the virtue of regret. "Just…" Virtue. He'd had it. "Just… keep it… And let's go."_

_He'd had many things._

_But it appeared past started now – and present had yet to arrive. With every step – losing one bit – not regaining the lost. Remaining… bare-handed. _

_They walked._

_Down the stairs. Only a minute. A stupid minute. Sixty seconds running, ticking by, too short a time to gather his thoughts. _

_He couldn't even try._

"_Here, it's-hey." They stopped and Shikamaru scoffed, displeasure written all over his face, hands stuck momentarily in his pockets to fake nonchalance as downstairs there was no sign of Sasuke and the nearby ninja were looking quite clueless. "Where's Sasuke?"_

"_The Uchiha, ah, you-see?" One of the guards replied, stuttering and nervous, a virgin to lo and behold in the matters of intrigues and conspiracies. _

_Naruto tuned them out. He didn't care. Couldn't have made himself care. _

_Fu-they were… Forcing Sasuke on him and all because he'd saved him? He could have-should have. Yes. He chastised himself, knowing he ought to have mentioned a word; knowing of the stupid seal they'd made and of what danger it brought along may have potentially aroused enough suspicious that at once all thoughts of dumping all burden of the world on his shoulders would have been dismissed. Maybe further inspect, prod and poke and yell they would have, but at least they'd have understood how impossible it was of Sasuke to betray them-and how impossible of Naruto to take care of him._

_After all… of Sasuke… when Sasuke… That time, that moment, had looked at him with eyes full of hate-_

_They kept bickering. Naruto mirrored Shikamaru's posture and shot them a curious look. Lost Sasuke, had they? First impressions put aside, Naruto looked around._

_The door open, the sun streaming inside-huh._

_He heaved out a sigh and headed out. _

"_Ugh, what do you mean you let him out of your sight-and you didn't even sound the alarm-no, I don't care that he wanted to see the sun. Look, you're new and all but you don't do thi-oi, Naruto, where are you going?"_

_Ecstasy this world was. The moment the warmth of the surrounding world hit his face, he felt rejuvenated, as if no obscure absurdities about protection and need had been piled up on his shoulders carelessly, as if no knife was lodged deep inside his back – and no blade missing the heart. A pity, he reckoned, that they'd only prepared all to take that one aim, yet suffered greatly in the end, because still with his heart intact, who'd be deemed the winner now? Who?_

_Naruto made a grimace, but that dissolved. _

_He walked out, further out, and almost laughed because they'd planted the trees around and it could have been more of a hideous sight if they'd picked a worse kind or planted them closer, as even this way more harm than good they did, generally the obstacle, generally the reason for all the people slipping on the leaves fallen to the ground, on leaves decorating the small world around._

_One such leaf moved to slither past his eyes-_

_-Sasuke was standing there._

_Was the wind ruffling his hair? Playing with his clothing? Was the sun reflected off his pale skin, pronouncing further that so little of it it had seen in the past year? Was there a sense of otherworldliness on him as he moved, as he turned and stepped, or an insufferable alienation like he'd best return to the dreams he belonged to than wither away here? Maybe-maybe… Naruto's body tensed and he walked._

_Maybe this, maybe that, but they'd meet mid-way and they were meant to do just that, prophesized by none other than the elders timidly fixated upon dominion of the mind, but as the fate would have it nothing would stand in their way this time – and even if the wind howled at some windows, wept at the others and moaned at some below, lashed up so suddenly and roared to rouse uproar, because while around them-_

_It stilled._

_And died._

_And they walked towards each other, eyes meeting, hearts seizing, bodies convulsing-from disgust and pure putrid stench of bloodlust._

_Behind, the situation had stilled and Shikamaru was speaking again but Naruto was nonchalant this time around too, knowing Sasuke was his bag and baggage, the helter skelter of unknown proportions, so why not cave into the misery that loved company, why not-_

_-be bitter._

Why not, Sasuke?

"_Naruto."_

_And then he was chilled to the bone._

_Who'd had-no. It… was… Sasuke?_

_It was then that Naruto realized he'd not really looked him in the eye, instead directing his gaze on the lips in an inconspicuous, clearly innocuous way, but the voice so dulcet and low prompted him to look up, to see the eyes made of coal or snapped from the sky and embedded into the skull – looking at him and none other._

_Of course Sasuke had decided to take a little stroll, to disobey orders for he cared not for those, for the seal would hinder him in any case, for he'd known all along only one person capable of handling him, the only person stood in front._

_I am angry._

_I am angry._

_I am angry._

_I am angry._

_I am-_

_-not angry._

_Sasuke._

_There. Here. Here again. _

_With the emotion it swam, his heart – in fact his mind. Possible, was it even? Naruto halted, standing too close, way too close, because Sasuke had not stopped in time too, and what separated them physically, was the distance of one foot._

_As if non-existent._

_Naruto blinked and erased all remnants of anger from his face-foolishly assuming there had been any to begin with, before staring into Sasuke's eyes and eventually admitting to himself not a stare but an intent look it was, intent and looking, exactly like Sasuke's._

Idiots. Jerks. I'm not a nanny. I don't want to be anyone's nanny. They're insane, crazy, and this is not going to work… and losing my team over this. Idiots. Seriously such stupid and… huge, yeah. Big idiots that don't know what they're doing-

_-But. _

_He couldn't help it._

_The wind really was howling somewhere. And it really wouldn't have dared to interrupt this moment of innermost intimacy, but the wind also obeyed commands of the heart, not mind, so even if they clashed as long as the heart existed, it would prevail._

_And Naruto wanted the wind to carry it – the whisper of his as he spoke, as he let it overcome and destroy, as he succumbed to the succulent ecstasy of the man before him, as he still fought and struggled, tooth and nail fighting for hate-but drawing a blank because for reasons completely unknown and mystifying, he couldn't have brought himself to hate even if he'd wanted, couldn't have managed the negative sensation even if tortured to._

_Because he also couldn't allow the gravity of his voice to be heard by anyone, because he truly was ashamed, his weakness the hindrance magnificent, because he needed the wind to carry it just as it had carried it not that long ago, because Naruto, in all honesty, was afraid to hear the breathless the unmasked need in his voice as he voiced the simple word-_

"_Sasuke."_

_And Sasuke's eyes widened, the next sentence a year over-due. _

"_I'm home, Naruto."_

_Finally home._

_And it was too late… For me._

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

"I'm home, darling!" Breathing heavily, he trudged inside and removed his shoes as was the tradition, leaving them by the door and not even bothering with placing them neatly there for, why bother, as surely she'd jump right to it. But first-"Sweetie? I'm home at last."

Ah, his dearest wife. He was quite famished, yes, and needed a bath. She'd scrub his back clean for him, then lay down with him, make dinner for him – something delicious, heart-warning, and he'd missed her meals dearly, but as a man he was tasked with an impossibly grave task – working.

She wouldn't get it, of course, having been born as a woman, but still she could appreciate him and he, in turn, would appreciate her efforts at night while she moaned under his touch.

This task, he took great relish in.

"Anata!" he bellowed once more, a wide smile now spread across his features and he stepped further inside his small home-

-and heard nothing.

And felt cold.

Seep into his bones.

Immediately, as if possessed, rage overtook him.

No dinner, no wife, no warmth – who was he? A complete stranger turning to an abandoned shelter out of despair? A completely unfamiliar face simply trespassing?

Silence. Silence kept welcoming him, the only company to his misery, the only greeting, so audacious as it crept all around, as it-shuffling.

In the background.

He dropped his bag and stalked forward, for he knew right then what was happening and really, what a fool he was to have suspected otherwise!

For she, surely and undoubtedly, was-oh, the shuffling sounds again, the whispers rushed and hurried, panicky coming from the bedroom and it was crystal clear to him now as the sky outside, that the wench-

-he slammed the door open to see her scantily clad figure covering underneath the bed sheets, the word horror spelled in her great, chocolate eyes adorned sporadically by the unkempt black hair, patches of red still strewn across her face-

-and the window to their first-floor bedroom yawning wide open with the curtains uncertainly floating in the late afternoon wind, all of the wretched mess, the sheets, the floor, bathing in sunlight they did not deserve.

The setting sun would be her death.

"YOU FILTHY RAGGED WHORE!"

"YAAAAHHHH!"

He threw himself on her and she stood no chance, as twice her size he was and such a succulent flesh, so supple and sylphlike her figure – such a pity, such a shame, such a waste of time he'd spent picking her out from all those candidates. He'd have to restart, refresh, renew, his whole life – all because of the cursed-

"_You mangy little cur."_

A loud unpleasant lump of the flesh hitting the ground, her body dragged across the floor, the limbs slithering about, floundering around in mad awe, taut muscles stretching to the point of breaking and snapping and the head in an awkward angle as his fingers tore into the hair, curling around and dragging her from the sanctuary of her bed.

"Husband, please-!"

He spat on her.

She deserved it.

A good husband he was.

So great, the best!

For a filthy hussy like her.

A hard-working man even in his late forties, sacrificing weeks at a time to work in the woods as a lumberjack in a place devoid of ninja to stoop to the labor, and he'd think of her every night as his rightful little doll she was.

Pretty, so pretty.

Pretty…

"Husband." She shuddered.

And screamed as his hand impacted with her cheek.

"Shut your hole."

Yes, shut it. She did. Good bitch. Good. At least in her dying moments she'd listen. He smiled at her.

"It… it was a mistake, anata, a m-mistake…I… I was all alone…" she was saying. He eyed her with the compassion only a man as noble as he could muster up.

He released her a moment later, stopping in the living room and gazed upon her.

His hand rose, balled into a fist, swung back-

"In such a case, anata," he muttered affectionately, and nodded. "You understand what I must do."

It really was a pity.

She'd been the best. The best cook, the best lay, the most beautiful one of the women he'd single-handedly picked out of the many around. Struggled they all had, but eventually understood his reasoning about every woman being a victim for the preying and in a constant need to be protected. Marriage was a mutual agreement, the deal highly advantageous for women mostly as all they had to do was lounge around lazily whereas the men worked to ensure their future survival.

And she paid him off with this.

A pity he'd slacked off, a pity he'd eased up on her and stopped with the habitual beating – after all, it had worked on all his previous wives, who was to say that time would change anything at all?

No-one.

"NO! NO PLEASE NO NO NO HUSBAND PLEASE ANATA NOOOO!"

Ha-ha.

Well, beg as you want, beg as you want-BUT NOT THIS LOUD.

He snapped and snapped and snapped again – her bones.

Like twigs they broke, just small pressure applied, and cracking sounds filled his mind, and blood spurted all around.

"Nooooo…. Noooo please… pleeaaaaasseeeee… husband… master pleaseeeee…" So cry she did, tears, snot and blood mixed on her face and hitting the ground. Who'd wash it? Him? Bitch had no dignity even now.

He leaned back, surveying his masterpiece, the body mangled and mutilated, but blood washed off hard and he'd need to move again. All her fault because she couldn't have waited. Didn't she know he'd have met her expectations? Better than anyone, better than her feeble, simple-minded fool of a lover.

Better. Better. Much better.

This was the 7th. The 7th and counting.

A smile on his face. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He wiped them. Off. Grinned at her crawling form, and cocked his head to the side.

And unzipped his pants.

She froze. No? No, he wouldn't stand anymore of those from her.

She owed him.

"Wretched egg. Oh, honey… honey…" On his knees he knelt, cradled her head in his hands and then-"I'll carve the memory of me in you."-slammed it hard against the ground.

A crack.

"Ha-ha."

She was still getting blood all over the ground.

Fury.

"Whore. Stupid, stupid whore…"

She looked at him, barely alive, and made peace with her death, because he'd award her with that luxury once he was through with her, but the more resilient the calm, the more anger injected in his veins-"Stupid little wife… Stupid slut. I almost loved you. Now, I'll need to love you differently…"

Her eyes widened.

Yes, yes.

In them, he saw his own reflection… Yes.

Yesss…

And she groaned out-"Behind you."

Yees-wh-what?

Wh-

Thud.

Drip.

Drip. Drip.

What…

She fell silent. And so did he. Lapsing into the silence that had welcomed him first. Most unwelcome, most pretentious, this fickle little cur, daring to interrupt him too and the chaotic fumbling of his mind, so he'd pay it all its dues back, all-

-he gurgled and toppled over forward, face buried in her bosom, eyes turned blind by the folds of her torn clothing, and he coughed, a wet something slithering past lips, suckling on his life.

A groan. Heard. Dimly.

_M-my own… what th-the hell is… what…_

Pushed himself up on the wobbly hands to notice-there, the sharp and red blade sticking out from his abdomen.

"Red…" His wife sang. "Red…"

She sang on.

"The eyes…"

_Eyes? Red eyes, but that is-_

"_Foolish lowly rodent."_ Silken, mellifluous the tone-accompanied by the noise as slowly the blade slid from his body-leaving it to kiss the ground below. "Conceited, puny thing… Getting my attention undeservedly while still killing…"

The wound was-but-the eyes-he turned around to see them. The mirage.

The cursed pair of bloodline limit, the jewels of amaranthine spreading the vice of fear all around-

-he gasped-he knew-he moaned-he knew-he-

"_Sharingan."_

And the infamous Uchiha Sasuke cut through the air with his katana, removing all blood from the blade's precarious touch, because it was dirtying it and he was the cool figure of marble, unfeeling and staring, piercing and judging.

Judging him.

And narrowing in turn after a moment. "You… will suffice."

Suffice?

He flinched and put a hand above his wound.

Wound.

What… what wound?

What wound?

He sat up sharply and looked down to see no blood at all and no disfigured woman by his side – only her seated, shocked form with just that one bruise on her face and the bewilderment in his eyes.

"What the-you bas-"

-tard.

_Bastard._

A split second later, he was on the ground and the Uchiha's hand was around his neck-and the woman let out a strangled moan and the red fury shot her a look before clamping her shut, his touch, probably, in such a stark contrast to what the husband's treated her to.

She stared, stared and shivered-and the red eyes only widened.

She stared into them-soon nodded off and Uchiha Sasuke drew his hand back, her form slumping on the ground, unconscious, but alive.

The man hissed, lifted his hand to pry off-no… movement…?

Motionless.

Shi-

Uchiha Sasuke's lips spread into a cold smile. "It's too late. You already are _under my spell_."

_Genjutsu._

Spread out eagle-like on the ground below, he watched the cold monster, breath hitched in his throat, an unfamiliar sensation creeping up.

"… How… I didn't-"

He didn't even reward him with a laugh. "Eyes? I don't need to use my eyes to cast a genjutsu on you… This is all I need."

A hand lifted, bared, the fingers stretched out, long and pale.

Then Uchiha Sasuke unsheathed his katana – the gleaming, long blade fully exposed, maybe for real, maybe a genjutsu again, maybe a fake, maybe-

"Nonononono, don't-you bastard, I will kill you. KILL YOU."

All faded out. The grayscale empowering, the black overpowering, the death – incoming.

This unfamiliar sensation.

This thing in him.

"You killed."

Started the red-eyed beast, the flourishing, maddening calm the breeze, the venom in the air and the messenger of the inevitable.

"And raped. You robbed. And thieved. You slaughtered in vain. And wrought mayhem. You sow the seeds of misery. And I will take them back. All the lost, all the perished, all the dead…"

At least an emotion.

The startling presence of anger and agony, in the crying reds, in the picture of a smiling blue-eyed face drawn to mirror in them-

Morphed to thousands, the blades, directed, pointed, above – suspended down at him, prepared to strike-

"For him, I will do all."

And struck-

"_For my cherished person."_

Blood.

Red.

"Number 1."

"AHHHH-"

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Hinata's heart jumped.

"Are you sure, Hinata-sama? It… might be a bad idea," offered her companied softly, worry creasing the man's face, and her pale eyes landed on him in turn to seize him up and down-or to boast with the wavering determination on her own face.

A second later, he was stepping aside, bowing respectfully, and she knew she'd won. "Y-yes… I have to. I'll be safe."

"I know you will… You should, that is… but Hinata-sama." Still the man dared oppose her, but she couldn't have blamed him, not when her own heart danced with a tentative double-step, when seized with immense fright she felt the butterflies fall one next to another a victim to the dying drive, when still, still Hinata asked herself-

-for what purpose to see the man, the man she loved, the man left abandoned and sad, when-

_-when… Naruto-kun… _

Warmth invaded her eyes, gathering at their corners, prickling her heart.

Huh… She shook it off. "I'm certain. I know what I'm doing. Besides…" She looked at the ground. "We can't forever avoid him… It's been days and… Someone needs to speak to Naruto-kun…"

"That… is right, but if even his advisor has failed…"

"What about the advisor?"

Hinata's ponderous eyes rested on Shikamaru's nonchalant figure just around, the man's feet shuffling against the ground and body forcibly dragged forward to make up a pretty little triangle of friendship and love focused on the one and only-

"Oh, you mean Naruto," added Shikamaru after a moment, eyes lazily clipping shut. "Yeah, that's about right. I just keep failing."

Hinata's companion nodded sagely. "See-"

And Shikamaru shrugged in an overtly dramatic matter and made a vague gesture with his hand. "But, of course, it doesn't mean you should let it turn you off. I mean, try it if you'd like."

Said companion then stared and fumbled around blindly for any appropriate response.

As Hinata inwardly rejoiced – and as Shikamaru looked at her slyly, the man could only shake his head and sigh in exasperation, before admitting defeat and backing down. "Of course I… I apologize, Hinata-sama. I'll wait for you outside."

Scornfully, he made his way downstairs, left to his musings while the two left behind turned around in the direction of the… place. The place.

Right then, Hinata hesitated. "Shikamaru-san…"

"Just Shikamaru, would you."

"Ah… Kun?"

"… Mhmm, whatever. What's up, Hinata?"

"Is Naruto-kun…?"

Shikamaru grimaced. "What? Alright? I don't think so. But he's in his… room, chambers or however to say it… He's there, alright. Resting, I hope."

"I see… Have you spoken to him recently?"

"If be spoken you mean that words were exchanged, then yes, but if you mean actually gotten something more from him than yes or no, then I'm afraid you won't like the answer."

"I see…"

Her shoulders slumped. "I can still try… right?"

Shikamaru's sympathetic look boded horrible with her. "Yes, you can… Come, let's go, I'll take you there…"

"Hah…"

"He, don't worry, I'm not an annoying guy like your guard, Hinata-hime."

She frowned. "Shikamaru… don't call me that."

He smirked. "Right, princess. Let's go."

Briefly, he put a hand on her shoulder – if she hadn't been as preoccupied with the thoughts of Naruto, she'd have remembered to note his warmth, ever-present and invading, exactly as Ino had described it.

_Ah… This is so weird, this is Shikamaru I'm thinking about and… _

"You're red. Is everything alright?"

"Ahh!"

"… I'll take that as a yes."

Humorlessly, she nodded, letting the man assume the lead for this special occasion and direct her to the room she'd never had the chance of privately entering.

"Oh! Isn't that Shikamaru and Hinata? Guys!"

Inwardly, Hinata sighed. Yes, never privately…

A strained smile appeared on her face. "Sakura-san."

"Yo, Sakura. Going to see Naruto?"

Sakura's greens turned wide. "Oh, how did you know?"

Silence.

"… Right. Stupid of me to ask. I actually wanted to speak to you, but the guards couldn't find you and I figured well, since I'm here, might as well go see him, you know? Although…" Uncertain, she trailed off, and Hinata's discomfort dissolved – though only to be replaced by one already skyrocketing to the heights.

"Three is a company," muttered Shikamaru offhandedly, resuming in walking and both women walked by either side, the whole formation causing strange thoughts to momentarily plague Hinata's mind.

Putting the previous gripping aside, she'd never noticed… When he became this way.

What was it… drive? But it felt stronger, encompassing much more than her own… What was it… Desire? Doubled, many times the larger than hers… What then?

"We're here."

Stopped at the door inconspicuous.

Hinata swallowed hard. "Naruto-kun is behind this door, and if we open them, then-"

"Ha!" Sakura marched forward and without further ado opened the door.

Hinata moaned. "Sakura-san, that was a bit…"

Violent?

Sakura huffed. "Let's get down to business, guys. We need to beat this thing out of Naruto at all costs!"

_Violent, indeed…_

A drop of sweat cascaded down Hinata's temple. "Yes… we do."

From the corner of her eyes, she noticed the dumbfounded stare on Shikamaru's face and both shared a knowing, transient smile, before proceeding after Sakura inside.

What Hinata registered next, was the iceberg theory.

There was nothing redundant around, nothing sticking out, nothing altogether eye-catching and attention-deserving, existing merely to ensure one's survival and essential, basic comfort, and nothing else.

That may have been, as she thought, at fault behind the general animosity and hostility of their surroundings, because there were shunned away by the air even, by the oxygen to be breathed in and out, by the smell of a dying hope, by the withered flowers someone had planted on the balcony.

By the man seated on the couch in the middle of the room, still clad in his usual robes, in the red and orange and black, the combination of warmth, passion and life, the energy of his usually voluptuous and tempestuous, yet now placated to a point where telling him apart from a mere black-and-black picture painted on the wall was as easy as distinguishing between hate and resentment.

At that moment, the vigor Sakura had presented with pride sunk back, diminished by the sight of her ex-teammate looking as alive as the couch he sat on.

Hinata's heart shriveled up. "Naruto-kun…"

Sakura's steps echoed around, her figure stopping in front of him, crouched down, eyes hoping to meet his.

Nothing.

"Naruto…"

Nothing…

Shikamaru placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder and shook his head.

And it helped.

Hinata gathered up all of her will and pushed forward, the man's hand slipping away, his warning lost on her, and daringly sat down right next to Naruto.

"N… N-naruto-kun… How are you doing?"

Shoot.

Really? Stupid question-ah. She winced. "I mean…"

"Naruto," pressed Sakura. "Look at us… Look at us."

From where she sat, Hinata couldn't see Naruto's face at all, but she could see Sakura's and she could see the flinch as Naruto's head rose and-probably, the exact look in his eyes was what made Sakura stand to her wobbly – why? – feet and move from his line of sight.

Maybe that was all they needed to know failure was imminent.

But Hinata couldn't. Futile though their actions may have been, still her heart swelled only for him… Still. Even if his could remember only Sasuke…

"Naruto-kun, please, we're here for you."

Next, Shikamaru's voice was heard. "Oi, Naruto."

Naruto's head further rose. "Reports?"

"None so far," replied Shikamaru. Hinata took it as her cue to act.

"Naruto-kun? You know… We are… We are here for you. Your friends are here for you."

"… I see."

To whom the reply belonged? Shikamaru, her… Or….

Or Sasuke?

Hinata's brows furrowed. Her voice wouldn't reach him… Her wouldn't-why was even Sakura shaking her head now, why both of them, why why why-

"Naruto-kun, please!"

The warmth spilled from her eyes. "Please, Naruto-kun! We're here, can't you see that? Sasu-Sasuke… kun… isn't. But we are. We are. Please, please… Naruto-kun. Look at me."

_Please just hear my voice._

Naruto's shoulders rolled back, the muscles underneath the clothing stretching, the skin dimly glistering in the setting sun, and he turned to look at her.

Hinata understood.

Why Sakura had moved.

And she admired the woman so very much. For not.

Screaming out of pure fright.

Because what she saw-what she saw-in his eyes-in them, behind them, in his soul, as if-as if-

"Hinata…" Sakura's pitied voice carried around.

"NO! Don't… Don't pity me, Sakura-san… Don't…"

_Don't pity me for averting my eyes, don't pity me for rather looking at the ground than seeing the waste in his… Please, Sakura-san…_

"I… I… I'm here, N-na-ruru-to-k-kun… I'm here… I'm here… you can't see that… you can only see Sasuke now. Even now. Even now."

Something salty on her tongue.

"Even now… only him… why… I've been here… all along… all this time…"

_All this time. Ever since… that day… over a decade ago…_

"Why, Naruto-kun, _why?"_

She sniffed.

And cried.

And felt a hand on her cheek.

Startled, she looked up-

-hues swirling mad, amazingly blue and enticing directed into hers, filled with the tidbits of need and understanding, gazing intently into hers, mesmerizing beyond comprehension, more than she'd ever remembered them-

-and Hinata fully understood.

It was not her who'd made them this.

It had never been her with the power to make them this way.

_Never… Never me… Only… Him._

A sniffle. "… Why… _Why._"

On his finger, a lonely tear glistered.

He drew back and stood up from the couch, leaving Sakura to console her and Shikamaru to burn holes into his back.

She watched him still, though only to see him wipe the tear against his clothing-as if disgusted.

And she felt a portion of her that she'd been carried for many years with unfaltering loyalty crumble to pieces and wither.

"Naruto, you fool!" Sakura was snapping now, stalking towards him, giving up on the friendly approach and Hinata wanted to stop her, she did, but, perhaps, she deluded herself, maybe yelling would help? Maybe Sakura whipping him around and shaking him the shoulders would help, maybe it would-

"_Oh my god."_

Sakura jumped back and Shikamaru cursed.

Hinata looked up and-choked.

"Sh-…"

Blood.

Tears of crimson, glimmering blood.

Naruto's eyes dead and wide landed on each in turn before, unseeing, rested on a random point ahead and cried.

On and on and on.

On and on and on.

About the folly blind to all.

About the love lost for all.

About the penance to never regain.

The misery to remain.

The loss.

Grave. Deep. Grim.

Slithering under his skin.

And eating him alive.

"What do you know… ? What… Do you…"

Shaking, his voice, betrothed to solitude. "What do you know? WHAT DO YOU KNOW?"

He snapped. He was the one. Her Naruto-kun. Her love. Shunning her away. Aside. Thinking only about Sasuke.

It was only Sasuke.

"What do you know? ABOUT US? About me? About him? NOTHING. You know nothing! You… don't know…"

Wrecked. Wrecked… And shattered. Everything about him, the pieces falling apart, not even the faint memory pf him from past to linger by.

And blood to gather at the corners of his mouth, to run down his nose, to peek out from the ears, to form a circle on his chest.

He doubled over, pain become.

"What do you know… Sasuke… Sasuke… You never knew… You never bothered. Never tried. All you see… All you ever saw… what you wanted to see. Nothing more. So blind… You never knew what he was, what he felt… You never once cared for him!"

He coughed. And he stepped forward.

And she was no longer sitting down, no longer driven and passionate about. No longer recalling her name, not under his screeching, painful gaze.

"You made him this way… Accused, condemned, pointed fingers. All this time… making stupid assumptions, making him hide… I needed him. And you never knew… manipulating me? Ha-ha."

Hysterical.

"Ha… ha… Sasuke would have never ever… the darling Sasuke…"

"_We'll never part, you fool, never."_

"The Sasuke I knew…"

"_You'll never leave me, right?"_

"_No."_

"_Eh…"_

"… _Never. Just as you will never leave me. Never turn your back to me."_

"Would have never…"

"_I wish you'd always place all of you inside me… All your thoughts, all of your heart poured inside me… But you can't ever commit to that, Naruto."_

"He hurt…"

"_Promise me."_

"He felt…"

"_Swear to me, Naruto, that you can treasure this, this trust in me. Treasure, love, unbidden. That you can understand."_

"He felt all."

"_Naruto… you simple fool. What would I ever do without you? I believe I'd die."_

"_I'd die without you, Naruto."_

"_I'd die."_

"_Die."_

"He…"

Electricity all around him, smothering the air around, sparkles flying about.

Compromising all thoughts.

"You never knew… a goddamn thing about us… and you pried… you pried…"

His knees hit the ground. "You pried… and you never even knew… You never knew."

How majestic and pitiful.

The sight of his blood-stained face – wherein blood was the decoration to hide the true, despicable, heinous, obscene – I – wherein the truth remained in the deadened eyes spirited by the vile, was the pathetic of pathetic, the dire of the lethal, the danger behind the fright, the essence of the blood.

"Go."

"Go."

"GO!"

Someone quickly pulled-dragged her away and the door shut-and the last look shot at them chilled the bones to their core.

Seconds passed.

Then she gagged, clutching her stomach, nauseous.

Nonononowhat was thatsomuchblood from oneperson impossibleunhealthy and the Despair.

_The Despair._

A thump. Sakura's back hit the wall.

Hinata's watered eyes dried up. As if someone had stolen all her life. All her-

"Hinata, compose yourself. Sakura, you too."

"Wh-Shikamaru… What the hell? What are you-"

"You. Come here. Go alert the others-"

"Nara-san?"

A random jounin. "What happened in there-?"

"Go. Hinata, I told you to-"

"Shikamaru, stop treating Hinata that way, don't you see she is-"

"We all are. Did you hear me or not? Go call everyone. We're meeting in two hours. Tell them not to be late. You too, Sakura, go to. Hinata-"

"Shikamaru, stop it! You're making no sense! We cancelled the meetings days ago because we'd-"

"We'd not-"

"Ugh, are you even listening to yourself? You sound like a maniac-"

"We were wrong."

"-and-what? No, Shikamaru, listen-no, you, don't go, he's just being-"

"Sakura, listen to me-"

"No, you listen me. This is absurd, you can't just randomly call everyone. We need to get him a medic nin and-"

"He wouldn't let you."

"Well, he's got to, as simple as that. And, also, you can't just go and-"

"Nara-san, should I go?"

"No, don't listen to him and sta-wait, I mean, go call med-"

"WE MUST HELP NARUTO."

Shikamaru's voice echoed around.

Astonished to her core, Hinata looked up.

Sakura looked as green in the face as the wondrous shade of her eyes-Shikamaru, on the other hand, had turned ashen pale and the poor jounin bearing sole witness to the display had frozen to his spot.

Shikamaru took in a sharp intake of breath and spoke. "We got all wrong. What we saw here and now… Naruto needs us. We were all wrong. About Sasuke and Naruto. We got all wrong. And we inevitably caused this. Now, we need to set things right and meet again. All of us this time. No exceptions. If we don't, then the end you spoke of, Sakura, just a few days ago, will truly befall him."

He stalked past them. "Compose yourself, everyone. We need to act. And alert everyone else. Tonight."

Aura enveloped his body.

Of strength and allure.

"At 10 pm, we meet again. This time, this time… To really solve this."

He looked over his shoulder.

"Understand?"

Without her knowledge, Hinata found herself nodding.

And knew Sakura and the man had done it too.

Shikamaru walked on.

"This time, we will save them."

_Them?_

Hinata, despite the denial, came to one conclusion.

_We're helping them…_

_Naruto…_

… _and Sasuke, too._

_This time, for sure._

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Shrouded underneath the darkness of confusion, all eyes landed on him.

The legion of inquiries had gathered, all present with one simple intention to _– know._

Shikamaru stepped into the middle of the room.

And precisely at 10 pm, no second, no minute earlier or later, he started.

"Foolishly, we'd all assumed we knew. Sasuke's alleged betrayal… Sasuke's actions. Naruto's actions… We were all wrong. Now, now I see it at last."

Murmur, shifting, incomprehension, confusion growing.

"We thought we had it pinned down, all of it. I thought the same. With ease, we blamed it all on the seal, with ease we concluded that Sasuke had risen to power and manipulated everything. With this ease, we'd set things in motion… I, too, had been deluded, because the night I acted, the night I told that small girl of them, the very night the first attack happened. And I thought I had it all perfectly figured out, presumably because of my own folly. I was mistaken. We all were."

Dawning.

"Now… Now I see… finally… How erroneous our actions and conclusions were, how naïve our assumptions… The thing between Sasuke and Naruto never was this simple as we'd made it seem, as we'd made it be. It never was about the seal, never about what we saw… Always, _always_ it was about the unseen. About the minutes witnessed by no-one else. About the bond they formed while no-one was watching, the bond no-one could have possibly noticed or recognized… Always about those moments we missed. Tracking them, knowing their schedule inside out… _Bullshit."_

Someone jumped.

Shikamaru snarled. "We failed. _We failed._ I wish now we'd seen it before, but we were blind to the truth. Sasuke and Naruto, what happened between them… we must understand. What really happened between them. To do that, we must discard all that we thought we'd learned so far. To do that, we must resume our search and start from point zero. We, all of us present or on missions, must together, with all forces combined, find out to truly understand what is between them… why Sasuke left, why Naruto today could have died-why all this time we've been so very blind to the reality, to how they looked at each other… To all those things."

"_Minna-san."_

"We must do all of that before it is too late. Before the real end, the real end of Naruto comes. Before the end of Sasuke comes. Before both fall a victim to our stupidity and ignorance."

His eyes narrowed.

"And at the moment, there are two people who can offer us answers, who can truly reveal to us what had happened, but only one within our reach, but that one already slipping away. Might be too late… But… Bit by bit, we can piece together the truth, before the mistake is taken too far. This time, this time for sure… We will find out. The mystery behind them… before Naruto, our leader and friend, really… really perishes… before the clash."

"To protect, to discover… Naruto can do that."

"He is the only person who knows the whole truth."

"The only person who can make us understand…"

Before.

Before this time, for sure, he really disappears, really consumed.

"And only then…" So tired.

So tired.

Shikamaru wanted to fall asleep.

"Only then can we help them… both of them."

This time, for sure.

This time… Really to get them back.

_Naruto, Sasuke._

His eyes closed.

The questions started.

_Forgive me. I thought I understood… But I never did. I thought I looked. In reality, I'd always kept my eyes securely closed. I thought I listened… But instead I'd always opted for ignorance._

_Because I didn't want to see… _

_And acknowledge._

_The stricken, cursed, wretched reality… of you two._

_Together._

_Please._

_Forgive me…_

"_Ne, Shikamaru… Haha… Weird thing happened today, you won't believe it… Sasuke… And I. We kind of spoke. Man, it was weird, but good weird, if you get me? We were just sparring and he – he laughed. I… I don't know… I thought I'd never heard anything so… And I laughed too. I still don't know why. But, like…I just… I just felt so happy. So. Goddamn happy. And… I want to be happy. And… I think… I think that with him… Are you listening? Shikamaru… Shikamaru, hey…"_

I'm so _fucking_ sorry, Naruto…

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, but the story idea is mine alone.

**A/N:** I really am sorry for being this late with an update : \ See, I had a writer's block because for a long time I didn't know how to start. There were so many scenes I wanted to do but I knew it wasn't the right time, not just yet, and that frustrated me to no end. And that, eventually, resulted in me rather sitting here instead of working on my fic. And then there was the fact I'd passed my exam and couldn't quite believe it and rather sat there like "o_o" instead of writing. And then I started roleplaying again and ha-another distraction.

But then… Just as I was about to reach the conclusion that this might just take a little longer, I read some reviews and… What do you know, I recovered! xD It sounds really stupid, but they made me open my eyes and believe in myself so I sat down, started writing and realized how much I'd missed this. And how much I wanted to finish this story and share it with you.

And do them justice. Sasuke and Naruto deserve it so much.

So from now on, back to the regularly scheduled weekly updates. Hmm, should I update next Friday again or move it to Monday, though? I better decide. But until then…

**Dearest reviewers.** I don't know what I'd do without you. Sulk and brood and feel neglected and dumb, but I got such darling reviews and they made me smileeee… A pity some of them weren't signed so I couldn't reply but! Thank all of you so much~! Even the readers that didn't review, because still… Knowing that someone reads my fic really makes me happy… Really happy. With that said, guys, remember to review, read, comment or criticize and remember to contact me with any questions ;)

As for the fic itself…

It was tremendously difficult to write.

Here's the thing.

In the previous chapter, you thought you had all figured out. You thought you'd been presented with an answer. In this chapter, you find out – you had nothing figured out. And the real question of what is going between Sasuke and Naruto still remains unanswered. In this chapter, it was finally asked for the first time in all seriousness. What I mean by that… Before, no-one really understood what it meant, no-one ever bothered to pry it open and look at the hidden insinuations… Finally, they understand that they don't understand. And they understand that what they don't understand is the real answer.

… That sounds confusing.

But you get me, right? ;) Finally, they're seeing it, prying it open… Trying to see. The real mystery of Sole starts NOW. **The real Sole starts now, with this chapter… From now on, the complexity of their relationship will be presented to you further, analyzed from all different points of view and… you will see.** Because the introductions are over. Oh, man…

Heh… Finally you and everyone will understand. I honestly can't wait.

And I honestly believe I should stop torturing the poor characters so much. Hinata… Ah, she'll get better. I can't say the same about Naruto, though… Hm.

And Shikamaru… I'm sure Naruto forgives you. He, however, can't forgive himself…

Honestly, writing certain scenes will hurt. Writing the scenes with Sasuke and Naruto hurt. I just had this heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach… Hah. Well… Sole really is about that.

_Did you notice the hint? In the previous chapter? At the end? Did you? Did you see the bound in the starting poem? Can you see the connection at last?_

_In next chapter, Gaara shares his wisdom, Naruto is told to cooperate, Sasuke forms an army, more flashbacks occur and the mystery continues to unfold… step… by… step…_

**Rating:** PG-13 for themes, blood, swearwords, and **sexual undertones.**

**Summary:** At twenty two, Naruto has achieved all; a Hokage at last, a man respected and loved, he rules his nation with compassion and understanding, bringing together lost families and friends, and disposing of those that dare oppose his peace. And Sasuke ever-so-faithfully stands by his side, an unchanging status for almost six years, and after these six years, people, villagers, their teachers and friends finally start to ask: "What is happening between Naruto and Sasuke?"

**Setting:** Six years after the Fourth Ninja War, so all ages have been changed accordingly. Naruto is the Hokage, but how exactly he achieved the status will be revealed step-by-step, along with many other details related to the "rookie nine" and all other characters.

**Warning:** There will be no OCs, only, perhaps, some OOCness which I'm partial to as anyone else, so that's excusable. Don't go around calling this yaoi, as Sole isn't yaoi, it's _shounen-ai_. The purpose of this story is not to indulge anyone's perverse fantasies involving Sasuke and Naruto, but to elaborate further on the complex relationship they share as demonstrated in both manga and anime. _Story will contain basic Japanese honorifics._

Thanks for reading. Remember to R&R! x)

If you have any questions, add them in a review or message me personally :)


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter_Ten

_I pl__**e**__a_

"_It's not going to work."_

_Shikamaru looked up at Naruto. "What do you mean?"_

_Naruto's brows twitched and he forced a smile on his face. "Oh, nothing, nothing…"_

"_Okay."_

_Well, snap._

_Abruptly, Naruto shot up from his seated position, fists thrust in the air and his expression a grimace of irritation. "AH! Shikamaru! You know very well what I mean!"_

"_Oh, I do?"_

"_Damn it, Shikamaru…"_

_Shikamaru, the sleazy, cheeky asshole, actually smirked. "There is someone I could probably think of…"_

_Naruto, much like a beast, snarled, before making a "I give up" gesture with his arms and flopping back onto the ground, glowering nastily at the lazy bastard by his side who'd assumed a very relaxed position, almost as if on a trip to the mountains they'd gone, not a mission._

"_Che, you know who I mean, so stop."_

"_Heh… Of course I know who you mean. He's the only thing you ever talk about."_

_Naruto huffed. "Not true, I talk about many other things."_

"_Uh-huh, and most of them are concluded with how you'd like to talk more but you can't, seeing as you have some ice queen to attend to or, wait, was it royalty last time?"_

_He scoffed. "Stop pulling my leg."_

_Shikamaru shrugged. "I wouldn't, too much of a hassle."_

_Naruto growled and pretended to ignore Shikamaru's haunting words, because they weren't haunting at all and he could certainly talk of other matters than one particular person, and of course-_

_-and…_

…

… _Damn._

_Naruto cursed and let out a horrific sigh that to any onlooker would suggest a matter grievous had transpired not even moments ago – and still its presence would like a misty fog linger about to perturb and bother, that loathsome, wretched existence._

"… _Fine. It is about Sasuke."_

"_Oh… figures."_

"_It's just." Naruto paused and – no, not sulking-okay, he was sulking, but for a darn good reason this time! Not that he ever didn't have a reason to but-well… Fine. _

Fine_._

"_It really isn't working out with him."_

_Shikamaru, this time, wouldn't even look at him. "It's only been a few weeks, Naruto, be patient."_

"_Weeks? It's been two months, Shikamaru, and he's still such a prissy jerk-face."_

"_Heh, jerk-face, I'm sure he'd appreciate hearing that if he were here."_

"_Ah, see? Why did he even get picked to do it? I could have done it, too. 'Sides, you know that Sasuke isn't allowed to leave my side."_

_Shikamaru let out an incoherent sound and moved to sit up. "Yup," he croaked, stretching his hands above his head and looking ahead tiredly. "And you his. And he was picked because the girls picked him. It was a popularity contest, Naruto, and you lost it."_

_Naruto stared. "Che, I don't get what they see in him. I mean, I'm definitely more handsome than he, right?"_

"_Well, Sasuke certainly is good-looking, if the flock of girls always trailing behind stands for anything."_

"_Heh… I could definitely beat him. Right?"_

"_Naruto, sorry to disappoint, but I really wouldn't know, I'm only relaying what I personally witnessed… And whereas your presence garnered the attention only of a nearby elderly couple, Sasuke hogged all the females. So…" He quirked a quizzical eyebrow and Naruto made a gurgling sound in the back of his throat, faking vomiting before sulking in the corner of the room._

_Stupid mission. Stupid undercover mission. And stupid Sasuke and his fanclub wherever he went. What did the girls even see in him? Such a lowly, cold bastard he was… Che. Cool… Right._

_Right._

_Naruto glared at Shikamaru._

_Reason?_

… _Since Sasuke wasn't around and Naruto had no-one to glare at…_

_Shikamaru noticed and stared back, deadpan._

_After a moment, Naruto gave up and slid down the wall to lie down._

_It was a comfortable, nice, cozy little hotel they'd picked, and cheap, too, for anything more expensive would have made the finance department take their heads off. From there, they were to observe the recent cases of young men being robbed and falsely accused of harassment, and the mission would have been a quick, simple one, hadn't it been for the fact the elders preferred not to have the two biggest mistakes of village parade around freely, so though mistrustful of them they were, still they'd get sent on missions far, far away, on missions far too absurd and undeserving of the attention of those comparable to gods._

_At least, as Naruto thought, in terms of power._

_Seriously… such a waste of time…_

"_Why do you think so?"_

_Huh? Naruto looked to side to see Shikamaru gazing at him with a tidbit of curiosity perched up right on his face, and he took a moment to appear sour and thoughtful, before actually paying it some heed and immersing himself in the wonders of that one deceitfully simple question._

_Eventually, his voice, strangely subdued, uncharacteristically low, echoed around._

"_It's… living with him… It's not right. We hate it. We don't talk, we don't do anything. We don't even, you know, hang out, and I can't hang out with you guys with Sasuke around because everyone always gets so awkward on me, like I was, I don't know… going to DIE, that kind of a thing? Or like Sasuke was just going to, you know, SLAUGHTER? It's… it's… stupid. But it's not working out… nothing has improved since the first day."_

_He thought back. To how he'd been delusional, to how he'd walked onwards with Sasuke in tow and showed him the apartment they'd live in together, but how he'd mistakenly referred to the bedroom as to a living room and generally spazzed, for in surroundings unfamiliar, he'd failed – and how Sasuke had consequentially called him a blabbermouth and a stuttering wily-doo._

_And the feeling of bright and good had been devoured by resentment._

_Which had yet to change._

_Naruto's eyes slipped close. "It all feels like a mistake… Every day I think to myself, that it's going to improve. Every day… I expect that change. And every day is the same. He acts like I'm not here and taunts me, mocks me… Asks me if I want to accompany him to the shower too, if we should sleep in the same bed… But only if he's in a good mood. But if it's a bad mood… It's like he hates me… Like…"_

"… _Does he?"_

"_He is allowed to…"_

"_Do you?"_

_Naruto thought. "If I hate Sasuke?"_

"_Yeah."_

_Naruto thought. Realized – he didn't need to think. So obvious, the answer, why bother asking? At the same time – to answer… Should he…_

_This, he had to think over._

_Shikamaru, yet, a man known for patience, with all the time in the world available and at his disposal, didn't intervene with the thought processes, offering the blissful silence in turn for an answer, the compliance with the world rather than jumping in to cease the seamless flow._

_For that, quietly, Naruto was grateful._

_For a while, anyway._

_As after that painstakingly long while, he came to a realization the silence really was a curse. _

_A trap, too. It lured out the deepest thoughts. Propelled them towards. Beckoned him to read them out loud and be confronted with reality._

_The reality with which he'd fought for a year – which he'd detested for a year – avoided for a day longer – and still found so immensely overpowering. As if… This time, he couldn't run at all._

Could I ever?

"… _Nah… I don't hate Sasuke. I really don't. Couldn't, huh…"_

"_Eh… Right… So what then?"_

_Naruto frowned. "Dunno. I told him you know."_

"_Hm? Not happy, was he?"_

_He noted the smallest of disdain in Shikamaru's voice and despite his best wishes a small smile was conjured up on his face. "He told me what I did or didn't was none of his business and if I wanted him to hold my hand the entire time, then he'd rather cut it off before I took initiative."_

_At the most inappropriate moment, Shikamaru snickered. "Jeez, he really can be a jerk-face."_

_Naruto laughed. "Told you."_

_Ha-ha. Just a brief moment to delude them both nothing was to transpire next. _

_But Naruto's vigor in preserving the sanctity of the heaviness in the pit of his stomach prevailed, until the laugh lines dissolved and he found himself staring up at the ceiling, the haunting of his mind heaving him down still so much and he heard a disgruntled groan come from his side, as Shikamaru, probably, noticed the change and-_

"_Is it really that bad, Naruto?"_

_Naruto barked out a laugh. "You really have no idea, Shikamaru… It's so screwed up."_

"_It could still improve."_

"_Maybe… But only in my dreams. The way Sasuke and I are…"_

The way we are. It's like we're not. We're drawn to hate each other by some unimaginable force and with this ease I look at him and feel hate. And regret. And stupid, stupid regret. And Sasuke… I wonder what he feels…

_Really, Sasuke… What do you feel?_

"_I'm pretty sure it's meant to get better eventually… You're rushing too much, Naruto. You're being troublesome. It's still been only a few weeks and relationships don't improve from one moment to another. It needs time so… Cease with your incessant worrying."_

_Naruto frowned. "Yeah…"_

"_Just do it…"_

"_Heh… Sure."_

_The door opened. _

_Shikamaru turned to look – Naruto felt the breath in his throat hitch; Sasuke. He could feel him. Inside him. As if things had been set motion – something, the tiny nonsensical tidbit of his inner fear, stirring from an incomprehensible emotion, and he felt himself move to a seated position, eyes wide but deadened white, because he really did feel him._

_He really did feel Sasuke's loathing glare settle on his frame._

_And he really did feel the attachment to that particular sensation as it settled in the air._

_Naruto's expression contorted into a self-pitying grimace._

_Shikamaru seemed to grumble under something under his nose, before, only seconds after Sasuke's entry, rising to his feet and assuming the detested position of a leader. "What did you find out?"_

_Murmur. _

_What were they saying? Like… whispering things… Why was Sasuke so quiet…?_

_Naruto's eyes remained transfixed at the ground below; soon afterwards, flowers would start blossoming around, yet their color would be black and hard – hard on the eyes, beseeching and daunting, as it knew no better than that, having been taught by the masters in their field to express only the furthermost spite rather than any benevolent love._

_He clenched his teeth. _

_Still the murmur. _

_Goddamn it… He didn't want to look. Didn't want to look. Didn't. Did. Not. Want to look… Because he believed that upon doing so, he'd be met with his eyes, with his-_

_No matter._

_Overcome with curiosity, Naruto looked at the lot to his side and-_

_-ha. Haha… Really, life had such an interesting way of kicking him in the shin, slapping the truth on him and saying "aren't you a smart little boy". _

_And Sasuke's eyes really were on him, really those two stones that seemed to seize him up and down without a notion for emotion, because where in the world could such a foul thing ever dare coerce him into a thing?_

_Really…_

_Naruto felt himself take a sharp intake of breath – then, as it reached his lungs, he snapped._

"_Oh, what, jerk-face, not happy to see me? Ohhh, let me guess, right? Failed the mission. See, Shikamaru? I told you I should have gone with him, after all my charms-"_

"_The mission is over, Naruto." Shikamaru shot him a look of pity. "Sasuke was just giving me a report… Apparently, one of the girls had been doing it… As some kind of a twisted take on her love for her boyfriend, to remove all other rivals so he'd remain the only one around…" Nose scrunched up, brows knitted together, and Shikamaru moved to his left, turning on his heels and effectively blocking Naruto's view on Sasuke._

_Maybe the bastard cared after all? Perhaps he'd come to belief that looking directly into Sasuke's eyes was the equivalent of being thrown in freezing mud?_

_Ha…_

_Naruto grimaced. "Heh… Right."_

"_Anyway," continued Shikamaru. "I need to confirm Sasuke's findings first, we can't leave just like that, but in case of Sasuke being right, the mission is finished and we are to leave the village before midnight."_

"_Heh… Fine."_

"_So-"_

"Bitter, Naruto?"

_Sasuke had spoken. Sasuke had moved. No longer behind Shikamaru he stood, the path between them cleared, the hatred in his eyes no longer hindered by anything in the world._

"_Bitter that yet again, you are just a dead last?"_

_Naruto balled his hands into his fists. "Shut up."_

"_Or what? You're going to cry? I did the mission all on my own. You better remember it the next time you feel like crying your eyes out simply because things aren't working out in your favor."_

"_You bastard-"_

"_I don't have time for this," snapped the man curtly, turning around to walk away-_

_Naruto panicked. "Where are you going?"_

_Abruptly, Sasuke stopped yet to direct his eyes again on Naruto – and in them, Naruto and Shikamaru would, no doubt, see the cold remorseless disgust, the detached mind, the inability to say "but". Sasuke leveled him a stare-smirked._

"_Shower, Naruto. Would you like to come with me? Just to make sure I'm not planning to slaughter anyone from there, or perhaps run? Pathetic little worm."_

_Naruto froze._

_Sasuke waited-waited-_

_-scoffed, as if he'd expected it all along, and stalked off._

_Silence followed._

_Shikamaru looked at Naruto. Naruto looked away. _

"_Hah…"_

_He waited, too._

_For something, a sign from above, perhaps, to change the world, but as nothing whatsoever arrived, he had to look up and see to it that Shikamaru understood._

_Feeling most anguished, yet so skilled at hiding it, Naruto forced a smile, and shrugged. _

"_See, Shikamaru? I told you…"_

_Told you so many times…_

"_The thing with Sasuke… Is not going to work."_

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

"It's not going to work."

She heaved out a sigh.

Both Chouji and Kiba stared at her, before turning at each other to share a knowing, despaired look and managing to remain composed even despite the gravity of the situation – or of Ino's constant worries.

Frustrated, the woman took a nearby branch to poke the blazing hot wood burning in the campfire, a disgruntled look overcoming her expression. "Seriously, Shikamaru thinks it's oh-so-easy… Just go to the Kazekage, he says, just ask him, he says… AGH! Like it was that easy! Seriously, that guy is so… I can't even… I mean…" She froze to portray the stunned feelings perfectly, before flailing about and looking as angry at their team leader as before. "And where is he?"

"Keeping patrols?" offered Kiba, helpless to soothe her worries – and also unwilling to, given the last male to have attempted that had consequentially been thrown ten feet away to land in the nearby bush and be stung by whatever small critter had occupied it at that moment.

The thought of the man's scream… Would haunt him for days.

He winced and sighed – but mid-sigh he was interrupted by Ino's fervent stare and immediately swallowed the rest of the noise.

She glared and huffed, before turning to play, quite literally, with fire.

Kiba wanted to flee. Instead, he inched closer to Chouji, seeking protection and also assuming, based on his recent findings, that he was to escape Ino's wrath, given her new-born respect for families and fathers determined to set things right.

Really, he'd love to shack up with a nice girl and make a baby or two, but it didn't work that fast and, also, he presumed such a thing would get him a good number of slaps instead of the desired pat on the shoulder.

So he waited, not feeling all that peachy, instead listening to the crackling of the fire, the rustling of the leaves, the shuddering breaths taken, knowing that in a moment or two it would re-emerge-

"UGH! But, seriously? This is so pissing me off. Shikamaru!"

… Yeah. That.

This time, Kiba couldn't help it; he groaned.

Thankfully, Ino was too busy coming up with the juiciest and most innovative swear words under her breath to very well notice he'd succumbed and done anything to anger her, which saved him many bruises, he knew, but also…

He looked at her.

Certainly, she was being over-dramatic, but certainly, she was right to be at least mildly smitten with anger for the man…

After all, gathering them all, saying all those things, subsequently requesting to leave the village for a mission – and even going directly to Naruto with it…

And now they were to meet the Kazekage and ask him what he knew. Really, what folly misled Shikamaru to believe the man who would see Naruto frequently only in his dreams knew more than anyone else?

He sighed – and it didn't matter.

Maybe useless it was, maybe nothing was to come out of it, but regardless of that, Kiba was willing to give it a try.

Ino cursed on for a few more, before, suddenly, Shikamaru appeared, and the obligatory argument followed, before Shikamaru settled his body right next to hers and their legs touched and Kiba was sure he saw the blush tint Ino's cheeks, before she quieted down completely and instead opted to watch the slithering blazing tongues, sometimes glancing to her right, sometimes to meet Shikamaru's eyes-

Kiba chuckled.

Love was to blossom even under such circumstances, eh?

_Well,_ he thought to himself as he stood to his feet, because it was his turn to keep the watch and tomorrow they'd reach Suna at last.

_Shikamaru better understand he's getting involved with a pregnant woman… But still…_

With a stupid grin on his face, Kiba idly stroked Akamaru's snowy white fur turned ashen and dimmed silver by the night and rolled his shoulders back to hear the resounding, unpleasant crack.

_You old dog, you old filthy dog… If nothing else, at least this could work out, eh?_

They lapsed into comfortable silence, into the duties that awaited them, until the morning sun appeared on the sky above and before the noon lazily rolled by, they had reached the city borders, wherein halted they were at once by the suspecting guards, whose inquiring looks were explained with reason, whose mouths snapped agape as Shikamaru pushed past and were left to hang uncontrollably in the air, because – wasn't Shikamaru the Hokage's most trusted? Wasn't that what they'd heard repeated enough times to remain embedded in their minds?

Still they let them in, still Kiba knew the sinking feeling was only to get worse as the moment of truth neared and still – still, no-one even suspected what plan Shikamaru had devised in the meantime, still as if far too deep in the story to realize his actions were contradictory; speak of truth, think of lies – didn't that equal to being a goddamn, stinky little hypocrite?

They were taken to their Kage, told to wait, told to be patient, eventually let in before a minute had passed, because, as the jounin said, Kage was most intrigued by their arrival, yet also expectant, and Kiba was starting to make sense of the situation, and they were allowed into the office, all of them – weapons not checked, left, in fact, intact, and Temari and Kankuro stood by either side of their brother, as the brother's eyes slowly fell to rest on their figures and-

-why did it feel like they were hated? Scrutinized from up-close, with no distance between them when in reality Kiba could see the desk, the distance, the physical sort, positioned conveniently in a way that any attacker would fail in seeking revenge on the leader-

-so why then…

"Gaara." Started Shikamaru. Someone bristled. The obligatory "what insolent child, don't speak in such way to Kazekage-sama" was to filter in the air, but Gaara moved.

With him, the world moved.

He made an idle gesture with his hand, stopping all protests before they were to glimpse the light of the day, and staring only at Shikamaru, who, only moments later, continued.

"We need your help. I'm certain the news have already reached you too. About what happened to Konoha… But I'm also certain you're missing a number of things."

"Maybe," admitted the man, speaking slowly, with a sign of fatigue in his voice that Kiba did not notice the last time he'd seen him.

Unequivocally, he knew things unfamiliar to them, yet the option of sharing would not be offered.

"Gaara…"

Please, Gaara? Was that what Shikamaru wanted to say?

Gaara's eyes remained cold. "Tell me what happened."

"It might take a while," admitted Shikamaru with uncertainty, but Gaara-

-"Go on." Urged him on.

Shikamaru started, not taking the opportunity to sigh heavily, launching immediately into the explanation which all present safe for the Suna people had heard numerous times, yet there was something compelling about hearing it again, and despite his best wishes Kiba found himself straining his ears to hear on, each and every word spilled from Shikamaru's word gulped with need as if a thirsty man in the eye of the storm he was, with the storm raging above, awarding him with a few precious libelous drops of water – which rained down on him in rivulets that, smeared across his chest, resembled perspiration – and had similarly gathered on his mind.

When it was all over, Kiba shuddered, the tremulous thoughts forcing him to remain rooted on his spot even if the muscles ached so hard already, unused to standing still for hours to no end; he would have jumped up and down, hopped with adrenaline, but instead he stared at the ground, listening to own frantic heart, to the erroneous course of all, the heartbeat which could have been his doom, far too long and strong for the party present, but when Gaara spoke, it was putting the stop to his imagination, to the storm, and the eye was replaced by the lavender shade of green, the lightness of it, the unperturbed strength of the words-

"I had known it would happen… The irrefutable truth which Naruto had sought in reality to shield from the eyes of beholder… I had known from the sight only, from the first moment Naruto had spoken to share the irrevocably sullied tale of love, that Sasuke and he were to walk down this path."

Kiba seemed to have choked; an incoherent sound left his throat, wretched, and he shook his head. "How did you know?"

The Kazekage-hero placed a hand over his chest-

-confusion.

Kiba blinked and shared an incredulous look with the rest, pondering if even Gaara had been inadvertently dragged into the whole mess without their knowledge – and to their utmost shock, but instead the man's hand disappeared in his robes, before re-emerging moments later, a small… pouch perched up on the palm?

Utterly confused, Kiba allowed himself to stare.

Gaara, on the other hand, remained eternally oblivious to the pressing of the time on their shoulders, to the weight dragging them down.

He lapsed into the silence deemed personal and specific for no-one but him, but none too wise they remained silent, perhaps suspecting a great gesture to be hidden in the act, perhaps… knowing something they knew not-the weight of that certainty helping them remain still and silent exactly as the red-haired man opposite of them, reminiscence the obvious thing on first glance – the flavor to his spice, all engraved in his eyes.

Moments later, Gaara's eyes closed. In that pure gesture, Kiba recognized hoarse and pained – echoing and ominous force.

"Because… Uzumaki Naruto is my precious friend. He opened my eyes, changed me… He became my beacon of light and hope, he submerged me in it, disregarding my moans of protest, for he, too, had dipped himself whole along with me, and he looked at me with those frivolous eyes that spoke redundantly of love… In reality, I didn't need that. I didn't… Require the amends. Yet, Uzumaki Naruto… he… showed me. And became my cherished person."

The hand around the pouch, tightly enclosed.

"He became my love."

Love.

Kiba pursed his lips into a thin line.

"So you understand then…" Shikamaru had gathered his courage to speak, the courage pushed aside with ease by the respect for the leader. "You know… Can you help us? I know Naruto told you… But what and how… How exactly you know… how… what I didn't…"

"Humans, Shikamaru, are strange beings… They are, assuredly, the most unpredictable species… What you couldn't have predicted… Hm, judging from what you told me, you'd known from the start their tale was to have no happy ending, yet when your words were proven to be right, you realized you'd never properly looked…"

Was… Was it just Kiba, or did Shikamaru really look ashamed? He frowned.

Gaara hid the pouch back underneath his clothing.

"You were wrong, Shikamaru, on many accounts… You didn't see what I saw, or, better yet, you refused to see it… You came to me, assuming, I daresay, I'd seen it. Because of my bond. Because of us. Because of what had been done. To us… You would be correct this time. Naruto's well-being matters to me immensely, even if it is not to improve without Sasuke's to accompany it. So closely they are intertwined… The two of them."

He paused.

"I wish I had a different answer for you… Yet I'm afraid that what is to be shared won't make the matters any easier to solve."

Shikamaru nodded. "What do you know?"

"I have… sensations. Feelings. Impressions…" he trailed off… And looked at them all. "What I know, huh… I know only this much. You want a piece of advice so better you could deal with it, solve it… I knew all was to transpire this way because it was too much. It's too much a burden for one person to bear, enough to smother and wring, enough to make one feel… _Sole._ Naruto, you never knew… I realized it the moment I saw him. He loves Sasuke. Yet love is an emotion far too complex to exist simply, it's directly interwoven into your body and soul, it is that which is essential for survival, to preserve your very existence and sanity… And Naruto does not have that. Naruto does not have the knowledge of that…"

"What are you saying…" Ino looked confused. "Naruto is quite loving, I'm sure? I mean… after all he's done for us, he must be…?"

"Undoubtedly." Gaara cocked his head to the side. "But if he refuses to acknowledge and see it? Naruto, when he spoke of Sasuke… There was confusion, repulsion and love. So much of that love. In my life, I've not seen a person this possessed by one emotion. Possessed indeed… A bit too much. The difference between Naruto and Sasuke is, however, that whereas Naruto is so far ignorant to this truth, Sasuke has embraced it… He did not shield his eyes from me not once, and wore the emotion proud…"

"You're saying," started Shikamaru. "That… Naruto is ashamed of his feelings?"

"Ashamed? That I'm uncertain of. I failed to pinpoint his reasons for hiding the reality, but I knew it, had seen it and knew Sasuke had, too… I knew thus that soon afterwards, the man would take action…"

"Action," repeated Ino dully and subsequently shook her head. "That's absurd! That's basically suggesting that Sasuke just wants Naruto to admit he loves him and then, well-"

"Admitting you love someone,"-interrupted her Gaara, voice brisk and piercing-,"is such a heinous, fearsome thing… Will you be turned down, will you feel content with admitting it? It's not about saying the words, it's about coming in terms with who you are. If you love, that love becomes a part of you. If you deny yourself that love, that existence of a something essential to you, you perish."

"Metaphorically speaking, of course," offered Chouji softly.

"No matter…" Grumbled Ino, vicious beyond repair, and huffed. "Still… You're saying, basically, and correct me if I am wrong that… They love each other, but Naruto refuses to admit it and that exact thing drives Sasuke to try to kill him, to leave him and to basically rip his heart into tiny bits and pieces… Am I right or am I right?"

Gaara sighed. "You are right."

Ino stared and-let out a disgruntled, irritated moan of displeasure that no-one chastised her for, given that even Gaara's siblings didn't look any wiser than the rest of them, and Kiba had the inkling Shikamaru himself was at a complete loss of words.

Well, not complete… "I… See. That… I suppose in some twisted way, that would make sense. Only… What now? What do we do now? Knowing that… Alright, there is this possibility that you are right, but how do we go around it? What do we do, Gaara? Naruto is… Naruto is… Broken… He is…"

"Not beyond repair. Sasuke can heal him."

Shikamaru scoffed. "Sasuke can, alright, but Sasuke is not here. He's not there for him. He's left him and Naruto-"

"In Naruto's memories." Once more Gaara did the interrupting, once more to allow his decisive voice to filter in the air in thick, intangible tendons. "Sasuke still remains. The only person who can really answer all your questions now is Naruto himself."

"Naruto won't talk." Chouji had spoken. Involved, yet uninvolved the man was, as if standing a safe distance away, an innocuous onlooker. "Shikamaru is right. Naruto is breaking and his memories of Sasuke aren't helping. He's completely goners…"

"Not… completely, right?" chirped in Temari, genuinely concerned. "I mean… Come on, he can't just… because of one person, right?"

"For one person, Temari," spoke Gaara again, ever-so-tranquil. "People have done worse things. Should your life revolve around but one human being, you became detached, separated from the rest… all on your own accord. With the person gone, you lose all ground under your feet and truly become the sole island amidst nowhere."

She stuttered-"I… Gaara…"-pain caressing her face with care. Gaara saw and offered a transient smile, before once more glancing at them.

"You must speak to him. Naruto can give you the answers. What exactly led to this situation… To this monstrous grief… Only Naruto knows. His memories of Sasuke, a constant burn in his heart… I wish it had been me… I would have never…"

Kiba blushed. And immediately denied the presence of the blush. Thankfully, all eyes were far too transfixed on Gaara to note his dismayed expression, and he fought to hide it soon, because, really… They didn't need to know that…

… Well.

The blush deepened and, flustered, he looked at his feet.

_Seriously, Naruto, what are you? A freak magnet? First Sasuke, then Gaara? Hell, I bet if Neji was any bigger of a freak, he'd be all over you, too…_

God. That was… Kiba wasn't sure he could handle all this intense liking of each other… Granted, a part of him felt mildly swept away by jealousy, as he had no such person to claim as his own, whereas here and now… Gaara was…

… _Damn, really… But I guess it makes you one lucky bastard, too, huh?_

Inwardly, he smiled.

Outwardly, the blush regressed.

And time unfroze – to move onwards again.

"No matter," continued Gaara, a certain distance in his eyes; there, in his mind, perhaps, he was with Naruto. "I know what I saw. The fear in Naruto's eyes… Naruto could never look at Sasuke with those loving eyes… Could never handle to be seized with that glare… Passionate, I'd call it, but it goes way beyond that… The answers you're looking for really, to, perhaps, great misfortune, lay with Naruto…"

Someone sighed.

Shikamaru shifted, rolled his shoulders back and let out a heavy sigh. "I was afraid of that… how to do that? How do we get the truth out of him?"

Gaara was helpless. "That I can't tell you… What I would do, however, I know…"

Suddenly, Kiba wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. Despite his best wishes, however, he mustered up some courage and spoke. "Um… What would you do?"

Gaara shot him a weird look, perhaps finally acknowledging his existence, before-"I'd ask."

"… Oh."

Kiba shared a look with the rest of the team.

"Ask…" repeated Chouji.

"Ask…" frowned Ino.

Kiba's grimace was of helpless disbelief. "Ask."

Shikamaru's eyes once more rested on Gaara, a degree of petulance in them, before he let all out. "Ask… I think we could do that. We'll just ask Naruto to share the whole story with us…Getting your input… Well, it helped."

"Did you really need it?" Gaara cocked his head to the side.

Shikamaru hesitated, before languidly turning around and grinning. "I needed a good slap in the face… Or maybe just practice for it? And, well… Maybe I thought you deserved to know. As Naruto's friend…"

Before following Shikamaru, Kiba stole a glance at Gaara, to see the eyes swarm with warmth unsettling, jealousy-invoking, yet altogether soothing.

"Yes… Thank for you this… I hope for your sake, for Naruto's sake, that all works out in your favor… That you find out…"

Kiba didn't know.

He understood simpler things, the basic things, but the bond of Naruto and Sasuke which he'd dismissed at first eluded him. And now, with Gaara's words hanging above their heads like the pendulum meant to certainly swing the opposite way, he wasn't even sure he understood love.

Just a word, right?

Shikamaru was walking. Without any goodbye, they left the village, spiraling towards doom-

Ah…

Not doom, no, but Kiba couldn't help it; asking Naruto, inquiring about the truth, demanding to get it… Wasn't that the only thing he'd denied them the whole time?

And promised to tell them in due time?

Kiba, as he jumped on Akamaru's back, could only think of a few things.

First, he honestly didn't understand.

Second, love was losing its denotative meaning to him.

And third.

Third…

He swallowed the bile gathered at the back of his throat.

Looked forlornly to his aside, at all those around.

_I'm sorry, guys… but I don't think we can do this._

He felt sick to stomach. Any moment now, he'd throw up all they'd rammed down. All that spite and hatred, all talks about love.

That love which he… He honestly didn't understand.

_I don't think we can get Naruto back._

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Back.

Days. And weeks. And months. And years.

Time is of the essence. Time is money. Essence is life. Money is life?

If he were to sell his clothes and stuff, would he get his life back?

"Hok-… ho… I-… Hokage-sama, new reports-"

If he were to sell those two, what great a portion of life would be returned to him?

"Ugh, frustrating, let me speak to him-Naruto-"

If he were to-

"Naruto-"

He turned around-

_-to see the man's lithe, lean form in the doorway, a hand planted against it, fingers drumming impatiently, a smirk on his face, the face partially shielded by his pitch black hair-_

-and blinked wolfishly at Tsunade.

"Brat… reports. Read them? Understood?" She threw them on his table.

He looked at them-

_-his hands slammed hard onto it, balled into fists, their owner muttering darkly something under his breath, proclaiming him an idiot for ignoring the paperwork, for the courtesy of his sloth would assuredly land them in prison of boredom, for doomed they were to deal with it-_

-and saw names.

… What… was…

"Naruto… Ugh… Forget about it… Let's go, he won't listen."

What… Was.

What is.

What.

Naruto looked up.

Tsunade's retreating back-

_-he halted right there, just an arm's reach from the door, standing, frozen, perhaps, before his upper body angled sidewards and eyes black like the night pierced him through and through, a hand outstretched, slowly risen, in his direction, the slight gesture beckoning him, a smile stretching-_

-on that face gripped with regret-

_-on his youthful face, on the features chiseled, now enticing, as the smile really did fit him the best. It really did._

"_Come, Naruto, let's go."_

-she left.

The door shut.

Naruto stared.

Stared.

At his hands. The reports. Seated at his desk.

Confused.

_How… did I get here… and why is Sasuke… why do I keep seeing him… what the… hell?_

A raspy slithering something interrupted his thoughts-

"_It is obvious, brat… Obvious and amused. Disconcerting, but true…"_

_Kyuubi?_

"_You are losing your mind…"_

Naruto rose to his feet, panicky, what-the-

-nononon,he wasn't-he was strong of course haha and strong and he could handle it and this was ohsostupid and and and-

-what…

Why.

Warmth on his face.

Fake. An illusion.

An illusion of him leaning close, pinning him against the wall, closing the distance, while cheekily, daringly staring into his eyes-

-Why.

"Sasuke…"

His Sasuke dissolved with a mere blink.

Naruto slid down the wall.

"Why… do I keep seeing you…?"

Inner turmoil. Demons. Dastardly men.

Warmth on his face. Altogether fake.

Superficial hold. Forever lost.

The memory of him…

Holding him close…

And standing there, a dimmed copy of the real persona, taunted him so.

Naruto's mind melted away. Helpless, he sat on the ground, staring at the master illusion, at the cold expression behind which, visible only through vigilance and effort, he saw the remnants of affection which he showed when he wasn't looking-

-which Sasuke had directed at him many, many times, which Naruto had not seen until now-

His hands fell by his side.

The Sasuke disappeared.

In his mind, he heard the low, dripping drawl.

"_Naruto… you… are such a lost, lost little fool…"_

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

"How many numbersss now, Sssassuke?"

A face far too resembling a snake hovered nearby his, the unnaturally dilated pupils surrounded by a faint shade of gray and scales adorned the face instead of actual skin, growing pronounced and hard to form the body of the snake from which two arms and a head lacking a neck protruded. On top of it, the half-human, half-snake creature was covered by a miserable, shredded and ragged clothing that smelled of rot and filth, occasionally to slip free from the creature's shoulders as they were almost non-existent in a sense, as the thing, in all reality, was more of an experimental, animated corpse than a living being.

A disgusting, animated corpse.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, landing briefly on the disfigured face, before, dead, moved away.

"Too few."

Saying that – he walked off, the thing following closely behind, slithering a precarious distance of one foot behind him, letting out a sound clogged between a laugh and hiss.

"Too few, you sssay? Isssn't forty enough for you, Sssassuke?"

"No."

"Oh… Lord, my lord… We haven't enough sssspace to fit them all," it hissed, apologetic, and Sasuke halted.

Long, damp and dark corridors to all sides greeted him, created as a maze structure to confuse and slow down all incoming enemies, and Sasuke, hereby a man proclaimed officially insane, had to give the venomous dastardly man a credit for that; Orochimaru, if nothing else, had at least succeeded in making all his sanctuaries for more gruesome and uninviting than most people were able to stomach, with the stench distinguishable only with difficulty from death lingering presently in the air to poison all the good inside.

The good to wither away… For all eternity.

Sasuke glanced airily at the creature.

Well, good thing was, he had none of that good left inside.

None whatsoever to be swayed by the wind of putridity.

Nothing to worry about…

The being slithered past him, circling him, stopping near once more to rise up so their eyes were on the same level.

"Sssassuke… iss it a good idea, sssstil? Ssso much for one revenge… I thought you were long passsst it…"

Sasuke stared.

His hand rose, slowly, a gentle and soothing little thing-resting on the scaled skin, pushing-

-the wall exploded. The being remained curled in an awkward position and its lack of any spine in the literal sense saved it, as otherwise it would have been broken in numerous places and sticking out from the bottom.

A loud, pained hiss followed, yet obediently the thing once more moved to remain by his side. Forever by his side.

Sasuke's hand fell by his side, hanging there, limp.

And his eyes fell on the ground, to rest there, emotionless.

Its head moved up, their eyes met-

-Sasuke felt rage overcome him.

So much.

He wanted to kill.

On. Sight.

"…You know nothing about me. About my intentions. And my revenge."

His blood boiled.

It looked at him with those wide eyes, pretending to be human when a resurrected thing it only was, its existence a taboo and filth, disgust piled in its name, and yet it insisted on being so startlingly human and feeling, hissing in the laughing, joking manner, in that… Seething.

_Seething._

It backed away, the eyes rolling back, the scales losing their shine, the clothing to fall off…

Sasuke's hands balled into fists.

"Don't… Dare assume you know a thing about me. Get me more people. And this time…"

The dust settled. One wall ruined. Still the maze would hold.

This place would hold for as long as his resolve.

"This time, _Kabuto_… Don't screw it up…"

He turned to walk away.

"_Or I will put you back in the grave I'd dug you from."_

Numbers. Many of them. Yet still so little. How much more would he need before the inevitable arrived? How much of this would he have to suffer through – before he realized?

Thump.

Thump-thump.

Thump.

He looked up at head.

Saw his smiling face.

His heart clenched.

_Naruto…_

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

A small bowl with rice was placed in front of her.

Kiba sat down next to it, chopsticks clasped firmly in his hands, and offered the pale woman a transient, kind smile.

"How're you doing, Hinata?"

She grumbled, lower lip curled over the upper, cheeks flushed, and in her hands she clasped firmly the hems of her duvet.

"Kiba-kun… You don't need to do this…"

Ever the cocky one, he smirked and shrugged. "Don't need to, want to. Wanted to check up on you, heard you hadn't, well, recovered since, so…"

She gulped, nodded and pulled the duvet up until only the lavender eyes and the dark strands of hair sprawled out all around her head were visible.

Kiba noticed and snickered, bringing out the color of red on her face and making her pretend she'd disappeared, been swallowed up by the floor mid-laugh, because, really…

"Come on, Hinata, it's not as bad…"

She winced.

Well, hungry… Somewhat, yes, but in Kiba-kun's presence?

Embarrassed, she shook her head franticly, hoping to deflect his attempts, but Kiba only looked her directly in the eye before managing yet another cocky smirk and-with a loud, startling bark, he pulled the covers off and Hinata screeched out of fright, quickly scrambling to a seated position and covering her chest, even if fully clothed she was.

Kiba roared with laughter, falling back and laughing out loud, whereas Hinata only sat there, mildly awkward, bemused, yet also the ringing sound echoing around was of the contagious sort and soon after, she found herself smiling gingerly even despite her best wishes, so when Kiba calmed down and resumed his previous position, she no longer seemed to resemble the ghastly, paled ghost roaming aimlessly the corridors of the mansion.

And he smiled, a hearty, filled look in his eyes, before pushing the bowl in her direction.

Hinata glanced at it. Sighed. "Kiba-kun… thank you for coming here."

"Yeah, no problem. You doing any better?"

"Ah… Yes. Yes, I think so."

"And still you won't leave the house… Damn," he muttered, nodding approvingly, to her utter dismay, as if marveling at the way she handled the situation frankly horribly.

"Kiba-kun, that's not good…"

"You telling me? Damn, girl, should be telling yourself… Oh, come on, Hinata, it's not like he's going to be there if you walk out the door, you know? That's just absurd."

Hinata closed her eyes, brows knitted together, face going white, and she pushed the bowl away. "I… I know…"

"Then?"

She muttered something incomprehensible under her breath, casting a sage look in the direction of Kiba's knees – the only part of his body she could clearly see, given she'd lowered her head and many strands had fallen to obscure her eye-vision – reciprocated not by the poor knees, and thus, after a while, Hinata fidgeted, a clear giveaway to her thoughts, before-

"I… I know it doesn't make sense, Kiba-kun… I know I'm… being… selfish and…"

"Selfish? Nah. We're all pretty much affected by this whole ordeal."

"Not you, Kiba-kun."

"Meh… I am. Just, let's say…" He paused to think for a moment. "Let's say that I'm kind of too awesome to let it bother me? Well."

Hinata didn't know what face she made upon hearing those words, but as Kiba took in a sharp intake of breath and scrambled wildly for words, she reckoned it must have been foul.

"I-I mean… I. Well. Look, Hinata… What I'm trying to say… What's happened… What still is happening has hit us all, but we can't afford the privilege to rest. Your feelings are justified, really, and you do have a legitimate reason for feeling this way, okay? It doesn't put us at ease to know all these things have been happening while we just looked on, not knowing a damn thing. But…"

"But," she continued, exasperated, embarrassed, this time, for a definite reason. "Someone's got to step up. I… Know. To be honest, I don't know why I'm acting this way… Perhaps. Perhaps it's because…"

"Because,"-he inched closer, placed his hands on hers,-"you know he doesn't love you."

He wiped a single tear off her cheek.

Hinata held onto his hand.

"Mhmm…"

"Don't you worry… I'm sure Naruto does love you. Just, you know…"

"Ah…"

"Oh, yeah. Not making this any better, am I?"

She smiled. "You're doing fine, Kiba-kun. It's me who needs to stop whining."

"No, that's not-"

"Thank you, Kiba-kun."

He blushed.

Maybe because she'd touched his cheek?

Her smile widened. "Really, thank you, Kiba-kun, for coming to see me, to talk to me… I appreciate it. I… I need to… Move. Onwards."

"Y-yeah… Onwards," he muttered, averting his eyes from hers, the blush infuriating. "I… Yeah. Onwards, that's the only possible way."

Yeah.

… Okay, she ought to pull away before he, well… Still, her hand on his cheek felt nice, comforting, even, enough she felt some of the pressure on her chest dissolve, and certainly the cherished sensation would have lasted just an eternity longer, hadn't he abruptly lurched back to put more distance between them, looking pretty much like she, as she assumed, had whenever Naruto had appeared.

_Well._

Now, she reckoned, now she could at last consider the option of laughing at herself and those puerile antics of hers.

At last, maybe, that portion of freedom, the liberation of her heart… Or, maybe, the ability to look back and still acknowledge herself as the woman diligent and wild in her feelings so pure and bold for him.

Maybe, Hinata was hoping, in time she could look him in the eye, and still feel she loved him… Still feel, admit it, and not flinch.

Maybe.

Her heart jumped, a low tune coursing through her veins.

Kiba-kun was here with her-

… Oh.

Oh, wait. Wait…

Hinata flailed. "Ah, Kiba-kun!"

"Eh?"

"You're here!"

"… Ugh, yeah?"

"I mean-no!"

"No?" He looked confused.

Hinata stuttered and blushed a pretty shade of rosy red, almost knocking the bowl over in her attempts to manage a coherent sentence. "You went on a mission with Shikamaru-san-kun-er… Ahh, I mean, and you're back, which means, you-"

Clarity dawned on him and Kiba relaxed. "Oh, yeah. That's right, we're back. Shikamaru's gone to chat to Naruto for a bit. God knows how's that going to go. Frankly, he looked a bit pale himself, you know?"

"Ah… And what did you find out?"

"I'd really love to tell you, Hinata, honest…"

"But… you can't." Crestfallen, Hinata eyed Kiba's knees again-

Kiba scoffed loud enough to garner her utmost attention. "Nah, not that. I just don't know myself. I mean, it was so freaking confusing, I didn't understand a word. Imagine this were a story; god knows the readers would be so pissed because it's got as much clarity as I have girlfriends."

He froze.

On his face, both brows twitched, a vein pulsating on the forehead. "I just… insulted myself fairly well, didn't I?"

Hinata inclined her head to the side, mulling the answer over, but Kiba beat her to it with a melodramatic, echoing screech.

"Don't. Say anything… Point being, it was… Gaara… Okay. He had some answers. Some… And Shikamaru looked baffled and bedazzled and no-one understood a thing. But, basically…"

He spoke.

Hinata listened, ears strained.

At the very same moment, as Kiba launched into an explanation and whispered hurriedly into her ears the nonplussed non-existence of pleasantries of their findings, as above them the moon shone wanly and moonlit the sky was, as here and then the whispering would be interrupted by Hinata's startled yelps, somewhere else Sasuke counted his numbers, reaching fifty and being vengefully discontent, somewhere else Naruto gazed out the window, seeing only him, and somewhere else Shikamaru walked in the resolved frenzy towards Naruto's room, counting his luck, seeing only the confusion and hoping, praying at once, that this time.

This time, he really would set things right.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Gods.

That was much harder than he'd expected.

Shikamaru cleared out his throat and – still, he was hesitating. Past misgivings had taught him that each plan, no matter how good, would fail, because the human factor – which he'd never accomplished well – would act a hindrance to any step.

Yet who'd make the mistake this time? He – or Naruto?

Shikamaru gazed intently at the door – it… Did not return the favor.

He blinked, stunned, then sighed.

Right.

Right…

He'd screwed up. He'd fix it. He'd talk. And Naruto… Would listen.

One last time, Shikamaru enjoyed the liberated air in his lungs, the ability to breathe freely without an ounce of regret, and the ease in his muscles, off to be spirited away moments later.

And a second later-

-he was opening the door, stepping inside.

This time he didn't heed the surroundings, or their warning signs, for he'd seen them those days ago, and still the memory had not parted with him, so this time-this time he did not freeze, rather walking towards him, him who stood by the window again, as if he'd not left it since then, him whose robes had obviously been changed, as no blood marred them, as if but a figment of imagination the entire theater had been.

But there was no doubt that all had been real. Real, tangible, like his anguished screams.

Shikamaru halted just a few feet away from him.

The door lagged.

And shut close only then.

The snap resounded around and Shikamaru looked towards the ground. He saw the shadow of the man, saw it stand on top of the floor lit by moon, saw the romanticism in the scenic picture, saw so much and nothing real.

"Naruto, I came to talk to you."

And he saw the shadow shift, all that suggested actual movement, yet that was impossible, that would mean-

"Did you?"

Shikamaru looked up to find himself meeting Naruto's brazen, barren eyes.

_Ha…_ Ha-ha… That was… achievement or just a figment of his imagination?

He would have smiled. Instead, he composed himself quickly, trying to ignore the fact that Naruto's eyes reflected the minor joy on his face, that in them he saw his own expression – which faltered here and there, driven by an unknown desire to break out into a huge beaming mask and blind all around.

Absurd, really… But.

"Y-yeah… I mean." A quick look at his feet. No, startling-what was he doing? Why the-a fidget, a wince, and the presence of the piercing blue eyes on him, and he'd never imagined them to be this electrifying-

Ha.

He laughed.

_I might just understand what Sasuke sees in you._

"Sorry." Apologetically, he smiled at the new generation yellow flash, and the flash – inclined his head to the side, eyes averted as a subsequent action, and it could have been Shikamaru's imagination, but there was a red flicker in them, as if-

"What did you come to talk about?"

"Ah… It's." He remembered. Suddenly. What had blinded him? Left him stunned, incapable of uttering a reply… What was this… Sensation? Did he feel as if-something was grasping at his heart, choking him?

Shikamaru took a deep, shuddering breath – ignoring the air that clattered, ruthless, against his ribcage, ignoring the ever-present beating of his heart-the one increasing substantially with every second, the one sending the thoughts to spiral up and down like a mad moody rollercoaster, the one to-

-god. He was being such a child.

Naruto had returned to looking out the window-

Shikamaru sighed. "I came to talk to you about Sasuke."

Willingly or not, Naruto tensed. Didn't reply, didn't say a word-

-ha, stupid blues or not, Shikamaru wasn't letting go. "We must talk. About Sasuke. About what happened. About everything."

"Huh… Why… You already know everything… You were there…"

"I wasn't."

"You… were."

Shikamaru let a nasty grown mar his features, let it overcome them completely, let it – possess him. "No, I wasn't. Even the moments I'd witnessed I'd foolishly ignored. Not once had I properly looked, not once had I seen a thing, acknowledged the reality. I never looked, Naruto. I never looked at what you two did. I never looked at you, Naruto. I never… did. Never did."

He was met with a startled, genuinely so, look engraved in Naruto's eyes.

Even moments later, that would not change. "I don't… understand."

Cursed, of course he wouldn't. Of course he… Shikamaru watched Naruto trudge across the spacious room to its opposite end, for what exact purposes to remain a conundrum never to be solved, but – he reckoned Naruto was putting distance between them, or projecting this way what he in reality felt. At least that assumption he reached as he watched the back retreat, as the back so miniscule disa-what?

"Naruto,"-a pause to allow the scornful frown to fully form, letting it blossom on his face,-"- have you lost weight?"

"Neh…"

"You must have, the clothes are just…"

Shikamaru didn't finish that sentence. For once in his life, he wasn't afraid of the conversational partner leaving, given that Naruto appeared to have opted for remaining frozen on spot than moving at all, but something wouldn't let him rest at ease, something to constantly poke and prod at his thoughts… As if again he was missing an essential piece of information. This realization – this dawning – could have snapped his neck on spot; yet another thing to have slipped free, past his fingers, yet another detail to have been overlooked in the grand scheme of things yet another – were there more? Were there thousands, hundreds? All scattered around, their positioning disorderly, all fragments invisible so far so he'd only have to keep stumbling over them constantly until he just tripped and face dived into one-but. But. What was he missing now?

What-

Naruto turned around; irises blown, banded – circled red and possessed, as if-

"… When was the last time you ate and slept? Really slept and ate?"

Naruto stared. "I dunno."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"Slipped?"

"Slipped-as in, it slipped from your mind? How can that slip from your mind?"

Suspicious, marginally so; disregarding all facts known, Naruto's dependence on Sasuke couldn't have breached the boundaries of all logic, couldn't have forced him to disregard own welfare – or made him forget about all the criteria to be met to ensure one's immediate survival. The thought of… one love being that strong was sickening, enough he'd turn around-

Right then, Shikamaru realized that old habits died hard and it didn't matter he'd thought to have persuaded himself of the truth days ago – still, securely shielded by a blanket of white lies and rose gardens, he'd reverted back to his old self. Had once more sought help in rationality, petulant.

_Damn it._

Was it truly that hard to accept it? To know that someone would love another person-did it matter to him these were men-or maybe that it was a friend and-maybe having things happen right under his nose was maddening a fact for someone whose sole I revolved around seeing the unmentionable, noticing the unobtainable, becoming the-

"Why do you want to know?"

Huh?

Momentarily ensnared by the tidbits of confusion growing, Shikamaru stared at Naruto without the slightest of ideas, but as the previous monologue of his hit full force, sped up and started the engine, as all things akin to spirituality and intuition formed the merry little band of home-wreckers that assumed direct lead of all thoughts, it clicked all back and Shikamaru sensed that-

"Why do you want to know those… things. I mean. Why now?"

-that it could very well work out.

With Naruto's eyes once more directed on his and the inquiry only slightly marring the intonation of his questions, it became apparent to him that if nothing else, he'd garnered himself a reputation of never letting things go. Naruto was asking back. And Shikamaru would take advantage.

He stepped forward, yet another cut to the distance between them, and this time-it really wasn't hard, because this time-Shikamaru acknowledged how very afraid a man he was. Afraid of – what he'd know. What he'd never known. And always ignored.

"Because it can help."

"How?"

"Help us understand."

"What?"

"You."

"Huh."

Was it too late, was Naruto pondering that? Cussing them out behind that mask of detachment, deeming their worries to be inconsistent, unnecessary and wasted on him when too far the situation had gone, far too multi-faceted had it become? Was that a look that betrayed disbelief and skepticism? Was there to be more of these questions, more of that unspoken – and far too many things left hidden?

Shikamaru looked down at his feet.

"There was this one time, Naruto, when I saw you really bloodied. Remember? A mission. Ages ago. Well, not ages ago. But it sure does feel that way. It wasn't anyone's fault, remember? But I still felt like an ass because I'd known all along the group we were facing to be carrying explosives and just didn't tell you. What kind of a leader does that, anyway? Of course it was expected of you to know, of course no-one wanted to take blame, of course I still felt like shit… You know. I. Um. I remember… When they exploded. You were thrown back what felt like miles-I remember. At that moment. I felt fear, you know, fear was the thought to first and foremost cross my mind-then I heard his cry."

Pitifully, he croaked.

"Never in my life had I heard a scream more anguished than Sasuke's at that scary moment when your body flew across the very blue sky above our heads, when the blood from your wounds just seem to trail behind you like a puppy and the sun shining down on us may have just made you the perfect victim of art. And I remember that I also, at that moment when all happened, I remember-"

Truth.

Truth, Shikamaru knew, was a vapid viper. It attacked and bit, it relented not one bit-and it hurt like a fucking bitch. Like the blood of millions rampant in his veins, the millions of those occasions he'd ignored merely for the sake of preserving own supposed dignity, for being coddled by some self-presumptuous belief he'd conjured up out of nowhere and ever-so-conveniently hid from the eyes of all surrounding beholders to see, prompting a few disgruntled sighs- a few claims of its non-existence. A few laughs. A few more sweet nothings before the matter was dismissed. Because truth.

It really was the castle in the sky.

And reaching out meant being thronged by life.

But this life… Could be nice. With honesty. With precious honesty, and loathe though he might have felt to have its bitter taste on his tongue, he felt exhilarated at once for on his figure he felt rest the other's inquiring eyes-and it felt, in a sense, like the slice of victory already offered.

Now to only get the silver plate.

"I remember. I looked away."

Fates sealed, truth slowly revealed.

A painful jab in his head. At that moment he couldn't have felt more ashamed.

"I really… couldn't look, you know? It was a few years back that tiny thing and it was just-nothing, okay-I was concerned, but I couldn't watch. When Sasuke rushed by your side and held you in his hands-for a while I peeked over and… What I felt I don't remember. What I did-I do and it makes me sick, because I wish I didn't, I wish I hadn't feigned ignorance and pretended I wasn't seeing it. I wish I'd done more than that nothing, because just being by your side never sufficed, because I'd never truly existed by your side-because I'd lied. I. Lied. Naruto. I'd lied the whole time. I'd had-"-briefly to pause, to ball his hands into fists and feel the nails dig into the supple flesh, to feel the pain and deem it deserving and well-suited for scum like he,-"never looked, never really been by your side. The whole time I'd only pretended while turning a blind eye, while ignoring the reality because it had not appeased that part of me. That part that-didn't ever want to see and acknowledge that out there, that right in front of me in fact a story this terrifying and tragic was unfolding…"

Oh god. Oh god. All those times-haha, always known well- a while and just a while-he couldn't stop. Suddenly, Shikamaru couldn't stop the darn things from flashing before his eyes, each and every scene was surveyed inan obscene, self-gratifying, morbid fascination before another followed, more gruesome than its sister and-it wasn't stopping.

It kept. Going. Like a curse.

Like the hot water trailing down his cheeks.

"I am… So. So… So… Goddamn. Sorry, Naruto. I am… So. Sorry. Please. Please…"

Never mind, never mind. It was alright, because a something nasty and smelly had been taken off his chest-and he could keep going at this rate for all eternity, knowing the relief would be directly injected in his veins, knowing the relief would be altogether there.

His knees hit the ground. A loud impact echoed around.

"I am so goddamn sorry, Naruto. Please, please forgive me. I-failed you. I know I did. Because I just-I was so stupid. So, freaking stupid and-just scared. I didn't want to want see, refused to see because being confronted with a thing beyond my understanding was scaring me, because a bond that close was making me aware of how little I had-because. I was-I was. Shit. And…And."

And.

So.

Much.

Just so much MORE.

A sob wrought through him. Next moment, his forehead touched the ground, pressed flat against it.

"Please, Naruto, please let _us_ try again, let _me _try again. Give me another chance. I want to help. This time for sure. This time I want to do anything in my power to help you, to save you, to do just about anything in my power, to go beyond that, to-to-go… To."

What. Else. Was there?

Oh, that, right there.

"To be by your side."

Wait. And wait, wait-

A sob.

Not his own.

Shikamaru flinched and looked up, hesitance in his step because – what if- what if his eyes landed on would be mockery engraved deeply into Naruto' eyes and petulance glowering down at him, filthily claiming he'd gone too far this time and deserved to only speak to him from that seated, begging position on the ground – but-

Instead he got the quenching of his thirst, the constricting of his heart, the blood pumped ferociously to each and every cell, the speed of it hitting the parts without a sign for remorse anywhere in sight-the.

Well.

There were many other "the"s, but most importantly, there was.

Just one important _the._

_The look_ of someone on the verge of breaking down stroking like a blueprint Naruto's solemn eyes, because when reddened puffy and glistered, they appeared as voracious in regards to life as they had so many years ago.

"Will you…" Quivery, Naruto's voice stabbed through the gathered pit of silence around them, transcending all the aftereffects of the rant into real life. "… Will you… really help? Really, really help?"

"… Yes."

"… How-I. How will that…"

"We must understand, Naruto, because we never did. We forced down our own beliefs on you and… Many other things. And we must understand first to be able to help. To save you and Sasuke."

A tremor went through Naruto's eyes. Surprising thing was – Shikamaru saw it.

"Even Sasuke?"

"Even Sasuke."

"Really?"

"There is no Naruto without Sasuke, no Sasuke without Naruto."

Hearing that, Naruto sharply looked up.

Shikamaru pressed his forehead briefly against the floor again, before slowly gathering himself up and onto his feet. "The thing which I saw and never wanted to see had the greatest of an impact on me. That's what it is."

Naruto stared. "Ah… Maybe."

Silence. _Unforgiveable._

"Maybe,"-continued Naruto, voice hovering between bold and frightened, the man himself possibly torn and incapable of figuring out yet what to do, but in his blue hues thoughts were swirling madly enough that Shikamaru knew he'd at least elicited a reaction and drawn out the man. If nothing, he'd at least gotten to see Naruto – not that delicate-looking doll. "Maybe yeah, maybe no… I don't really think there is a chance but… Huh. I guess I want to believe you. For my own selfish reasons, but I want to believe you, Shikamaru. So. I will believe you. I do believe you. _I believe you, Shikamaru."_

There was no time in basking in this success and Naruto probably knew that too, but still a curt wordless conversation followed that last statement, with both males looking deeply into each other's eyes and Shikamaru hoping he wasn't the only one experiencing that beckoning warmth spreading all across his chest.

Then Naruto broke away, graciously stepped over to the couch, sat down and stared blankly ahead.

"Where do I start?"

Shikamaru moved by his side, tremulous, trembling-_oh god_. He put a hand over his chest, hesitation-then boldly stepped onwards, hands balled into fists, eyes ablaze – yet puffy, reddened and he blinked all away, pushing the obligatory physicality aside for useless, stupid it was, for-he had not the time to deal with trivialities. Not. This. TIME.

He sat down opposite of him, wishing solace and privacy on his Hokage, yet, maybe-naive, that idea?

Naruto swallowed hard, Shikamaru saw, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as if going over an obstacle, a large rock stuck in this throat and he saw a droplet of sweat cascade in a shimmering rivulet down the tanned neck – the tanned to have become only the residual of the former, the thinned milk, the fainted copy.

Truth.

"Where… do I start. How…"

"Beginning. The change. When you first saw it. And the progress. Until now. You tell only me if you trust me-I will relay to the others. For once, we will have made the right thing. But you must share everything."

"Well…"

"Everything. Every. Little. Detail." Insist.

Tentative. "But…"

"Everything. Nothing to be left out."

"That's going to take a while…A while. A long while. I can't even think of everything at the top of my head."

"Slowly we proceed. One story at a time, one step at a time, but we do. Don't we? This time…"

Naruto lifted his head, lips quivering and encompassed in his eyes – an agonized plea. "Everything." Echo.

Nod. And-"Everything."

A shuddering breath taken-did it clatter against the ribcage, did he feel pained, was he doomed to experience that sensation all over again, or did the cheek of the thing, the dastardly freak actually resemble nothing in comparison to the loss he'd suffered a mere week ago? Did it compute in his mind at all? Did he know-this would require every little piece of him left in that shelf, or did he… Did Naruto only wish to humor him?

_In our last dying moments of glory and pride, you are still to be my sweet conundrum._

Naruto's lips parted. "Then… Let me start by the first time… That we looked at each other – and our eyes lacked loathing. That time, that mission… Years ago… "

A jarring thought, a sharp stab in the heart-Shikamaru listened.

_Still my cherished and charred lullaby. _

_My sweet little._

"That, I believe, started things. That, I believe… Initiated the change."

_My beloved and delectable – leader._

Naruto's eyes, glassy, glistered. "And what led to this."

Shikamaru unwittingly choked on air-nodded gasping for more, but all thoughts shunned out, all ceased by mercy, because he had not the time-for frivolous thoughts, fickle actions, for the immaculate and troubling breathing of his heart, beating of his lungs. Not the other way around.

Never. The other way around. Not when Naruto was involved.

_Wish I could get you. _

_Can I get you back?_

_Can I?_

"It was. The nastiest, most horrible day, when the downpour had us all soaked to the bone, that day when I… Just had to be stupid…"

_I can and I'll try. _

"And almost got myself killed."

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

"YOU IDIOT WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"JUST SHUT UP!"

F-this… SHIT. His fingers curled around the kunai and snapped it out at once, the shitty little snotty STUPID object discarded onto the ground below as Naruto immediately jumped aside-and avoided a batch of kunai thrown at him. Hard they dug into the ground, one missing his foot by an inch and he cursed under his breath, the other foot slipping, the body tipping backwards, losing its footing and greeting the ground-

Naruto skidded across the muddy ground and stopped a mere breath later, clutching his arm. Blood seeped through the fingers, through the clothing, dripping down and he shook the water from his eyes, head shaken side to side, hair slashing about as the rained poured down on them.

"Idiot…"

Disembodied voice? Hardly. Naruto didn't even need to look to know Sasuke was glaring, but screw him now. Screw him and his bloodied face because he'd gotten some blood on his face because that face DESERVED IT!

Fine.

Fine… Breathe. In. Out. Calm. Down.

Calm… d-d-down… Down.

He fell. Down on one knee. Cursed.

"Naruto!"

Shikamaru rushing to him, no matter. Vision blurring already-

-stupid thing. They should have taken a medic nin, should have a few more times but the pissy twats kept insisting they were a capable three-men team and had to make use of their own capabilities rather than rely on someone else. Really? REALLY? Really. In his years Naruto had said some pretty dumb things, but never made a claim that downright filthy absurd – enough he'd remained rooted on that spot because-really. No medic-nins. They were only essential to every ninja. But no, that was alright, let the Kyuubi brat handle the Uchiha brat. Let them handle each other and hopefully fall during battle. No wonder he'd have sustained this injury, no wonder he'd have kept relentlessly going with a nin to heal his injuries for him and it didn't matter he had the Kyuubi. Because the Kyuubi wasn't a god.

Just some dumb fox.

Just some-coherence stolen.

Losing. Rational thought.

"Sh… s-shit…"

Water and mud splashed into his face, further dirtying the clothing as Shikamaru stopped abruptly in front of him and deflected the rain of kunai directed at him, subsequently making hand-seals-before his shadows erupted from the ground, beckoning startled gasps of horror from the assailants-and they only put more distance between them.

From the corner of his eyes, Naruto saw Sasuke glaring at them and he understood the other was itching to fight them back-knew he could have killed them in a matter of seconds, but it was only unfortunate they were meant to be captured instead.

Really, just another thing to add to the cart of bullshit.

"Naruto, where are you hurt?" whispered Shikamaru, eyes still on the enemy, narrowed and focused.

Naruto winced. "Arm. Nothing big. Think it was poisoned, though."

"Symptoms?"

"Lost balance, weak, vision blurred… Really sick."

"Ugh_, typical._ The antidote is in our hotel room. Left it there by an accident when they attacked us. Great. _Sasuke."_

The sole Uchiha survivor shot them a cold look before running over, taking the other unprotected side next to Naruto-and making Naruto feel ultimately broken.

Protectors, he had them, dignity – he used to have. _Che._

"Naruto got poisoned and from how he looks we haven't much time left before the poison sends him into cardiac arrest. We can't rely on Kyuubi now, we need to finish this now," explained Shikamaru swiftly, the shadows returning back to him and leaving the man slumped over from fatigue that had not been released in the past week.

Sasuke shot Naruto an infuriated glare, nose scrunched up and face, for a change, scorched with the perturbed and uncharacteristic expressiveness, eyes spelling directly – all that repulsion. All only for Naruto and no-one else.

Was this weakness?

Naruto's eyes narrowed back.

_Don't look at me that way. DON'T look at me that way._

Nothing. Sasuke remained silent. Maybe exasperated, he was. Or he'd run out of insults to spew at him or maybe – just unwilling to share his wisdom with anyone while completely soaked to the bone in an environment unfriendly to his chakra ambivalence, because this weather knew no mercy, pouring all of its anger down upon then enough that Naruto felt his body sink into the muddy ground.

He groaned.

Shikamaru looked at him at once-grimaced. "Damn… Ahhh, troublesome fools, this wasn't meant to have happened," he commented almost regretfully as he looked back at mob of twenty or more watching them from a safe distance, probably waiting for the best opportunity to strike – one, Naruto knew, they'd not get, not when this genius was on their side. "They should have told us these missing nin were missing their brains. Ah, to have attacked us shortly after we'd arrived." An irritable sigh escaped him and Naruto wanted to sympathize; don't sleep properly for a week, reach your destination, be attacked right as you crash into the bed.

_Figures, _he thought with a grim grin, some of that good old amusement flickering in his eyes-

Sasuke was staring at him.

He felt the eyes. Felt the strength of his glare. Felt the power of it, the power behind, the detestable shade of red fixated solely upon him, yet as Naruto wished to glare back, he realized-he did not understand the shade of the emotion in the man's glare.

Confused, he blinked and stood on his wobbly feet, ignoring Sasuke for the time being.

"Shikamaru, what do we do?"

The grunt to echo around was self-explanatory. "That's obvious, isn't it? It can't be helped but we must get rid of them. Our intel was wrong; the reports that came in claimed there was only one group of five low-ranked missing nin building a hideout around a local village, but it didn't peg them armed and ready for a fight like these guys are. With their numbers we can't risk them getting away and capturing everyone as we were originally meant to would be nonsense. We lack the resources for that… Ugh." Against the impeccable drumming of the rain, Shikamaru's voice may have sounded even poetic. And sad. "There will be no survivors, I'm afraid." Slightly, Shikamaru turned to Sasuke. "And we can't waste our time. This mission was a complete failure and there was either a rat or just someone didn't do their job properly, but it doesn't mean we'll let one of our teammates die… Sasuke. Make it quick."

Before the answer arrived a sound of protest was heard as Naruto let out a mellowed hiss of pain and squinted both eyes at Shikamaru. "Oi, oi, what's that all about? You're not going to just leave me here while you two have all the fun, eh?"

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. "No. Sasuke is getting all the fun, Naruto, I'm taking you back before the poison spreads even further."

"What? No, that's-"

"The last thing you'll ever get to say before your own stupidity claims you, fool, unless you for once act your age and listen to orders."

Sasuke had discarded all worry and spite, strutting forward, katana already naked in his arms as he removed the cloak covering his body – allowed the full force of the rain like rocks hit his tall and imposing figure but despite the apparent focus behind each step taken, the face was turned sidewards over the shoulder-to land directly on Naruto's. Specifically – on his eyes.

And Naruto was acutely aware of the strange feeling constricting his heart.

A second later that famed gripping power of Sasuke's Sharingan spread across his eyes, the redness invading somehow even the surrounding world, until the rain turned bloodied and they skies above their heads – just disappeared.

Sasuke's lips parted, light breeze passing by them as the drops hit the succulent flesh hard enough to bruise and continued in their frenzy further down. "After all, if you only hadn't rushed out without waiting like an idiot, you wouldn't have put yourself and everyone else in jeopardy. Once more, Naruto…" The katana gleamed, beautiful. Exactly as beautiful, yet only a little, as its master. Sasuke stepped onwards, nearing the enemy as Shikamaru put an arm securely around Naruto's mid-waist, as Sasuke's chakra flashed to life. "You fail."

The shroud of rain covered his back.

A sigh of displeasure slipped past Shikamaru's lips. "We are not a one-man team. But as it appears, we are not a team at all. Almost five months later, we are still…" Exasperated, angered, tired, annoyed? Disappointed. "Nothing."

Naruto tried to see if he could watch it, yet what he saw was only the mist arrive and the rain thicker than any before. He would have hoped for more yet a sudden lurch of his stomach stopped him and instead he sealed his mouth shut for the time being, thinking it wasn't knowing he'd screwed up, it wasn't that Sasuke had been right once more, not that Naruto had had his dreams crushed, not that he'd only seen the proof of the other's hatred once more and gotten his daily dosage, not that he felt troubled at all – it was only the poison running through his veins that was making him feel this way. No less, no more than that. Not even when the hotel came to their view and he slumped onto the ground, panting, breathing hard, oxygen no longer in his blood, all life fleeing his sky-colored eyes, all sweetness of his character lost on the harshness of death – not even then was he to change his mind.

Or not when Shikamaru released him and ran inside, knowing to drag the dead weight would slow him down and still – where had they left the vials, where had they disappeared off to while under the pretense of a battle?

Not even when – Naruto's vision blurred, a bitter taste on his tongue, and someone picked his muddied form from the ground and carried it back inside, because he could swear that was the stench of blood putridly filtering in the air and there was the warmth he'd felt before and that was-that comfort he didn't know he'd missed, didn't know a thing as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

So.

Sweetly. Asleep.

But asleep spoke of short-lived pleasures, asleep and eternal didn't know each other, and if this was meant to be sleep then – when was he to awake?

_Sleep… Man, when was to last time I actually slept… Slept alone and well, without anyone's presence, without any watchful eyes to keep me up and about and like there's a bunch of snakes slithering under my skin… When was the last time I didn't fear you?_

When?

Ha.

When, Sasuke, when. Tell me… When?

He opened his eyes.

He was back.

He was.

For the better or worse, alive.

The ceiling greeted him, then the plain hard flooring he was laid on and the slight warmth the blanket offered and Naruto narrowed his eyes and feeling it all right looked to his right.

If he'd had any more time, he'd have used it to reason why anger, an action nefarious, was desired, but he either had it not or lacked the drive, for instead Naruto settled at the reality – being that at that moment, he didn't muster up the leftover tidbits of anger to direct them at the man seated in the far corner of the room by the window, with but a thin wall separating him and the ever-increasing downpour outside. At that moment he did not care for any obvious signs of irritation to seamlessly enter his eyes as in to shoot back as much bile as possible, and did not care to remember why he should have tried.

For once, he didn't want to abide.

Even if Sasuke's eyes did not stop.

_Huh, Sasuke, are you glaring at me? Do you hate me? Still? Will you ever stop? Heh… A pity._

"Stop it," he ordered and yet not.

Sasuke remained motionless. "Stop what?"

"Glaring."

"What else would you deserve when you almost got yourself killed?"

Naruto pursed his lips into a thin line. "I'd almost think you were worried. But only almost."

Outside the rain continued on its journey, traversing across the skies to land brutally on the ground, no mercy in its touch as it sew a caress of distrust among the plants and all living beings underground and the darkness still couldn't have looked better on him; figure shrouded beneath its secure touch, the outlines merged with the impenetrable darkness and the dimmed light of the room tinkering with shadows – Sasuke looked born out of it, the ability to frighten everyone to their care inherent. And perfect.

Yet Naruto didn't frighten.

Sasuke's face moved slightly sidewards as if to look him in the eye from a different point of view. "Only almost," he echoed, bringing an upside-down smile onto Naruto's face. "But that doesn't change you almost died."

A scoff. "I know that already. Where's Shikamaru?"

"Sending a report."

"Already?"

"It's been a few days."

"Eh?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly, a tint of mockery in them as he glowered down at Naruto – who had yet to move. In fact, both did – and the distance between them, the position of their bodies – the stark contrast did not exist and Naruto had to admit-

-strangely enough, he felt almost soothed and he realized – this would be the first time in months they'd spoken on equal terms, no insult to injury on a tip of the tongue, nothing to disturb this still life.

Such an oddity. "How long have I been out?"

"A few days lying in that very position," slurred Sasuke, eyes darkening. "Trashing about, muttering from your sleep… It was a highly effective and proficient poison and though not outright lethal, if not tended to soon, it could knock you out for up to a few weeks before death arrived, but which point you'd welcome it with yours arms wide open as if to embrace the impending death."

"Heeh…" Naruto blinked. "So poetic, aren't you?"

Nothing to filter in the air as Sasuke gritted his teeth, a small vein bulging on the side of his face and the jaw visibly clenched, before he finally shifted. "You are an idiot, Naruto. It's because of you this mission failed. Had you not run off like that-"

No insult to injury, eh?

"Don't go blaming this on me."

_I'm not disappointed, I'm not, I just hoped for a moment when we'd stay like that._

Sasuke barked out a laugh and shook his head. "You truly are a fool. Impressive strength you possess yet rather than make any use of it at all you rush into battle mindlessly. Years of implementing intricate knowledge of martial arts, tactics and battle and you can mock the generations to have spent training under the pretenses of no tomorrow within a second by disregarding all which you had been taught. You are a disgrace to all ninja, Naruto."

Naruto stared. No wiser man would have concluded easily he'd just been insulted, yet instead of feeling offended, Naruto could only stare silently back, meeting Sasuke's intent stare mid-way and neither spoke a word during that moment when both minds reeled in overturn and when Naruto's kept sifting through the dozens of opportunities laid out before him.

He knew, again, he'd been insulted, but this time he'd felt no anger drip from the other's words, nothing whatsoever to suggest disgust was soon to filter in the air on a popular demand, but that was strange for Sasuke was meant to angry for – Naruto didn't want to admit it, but he knew he'd screwed up. Big time. So. Why?

Mind muddled, he moved slowly to a seated position and each muscle screamed in protest, bringing a slight grimace to his features. Once properly seated, once dimly aware of the blanket to have rolled off and pooled around his mid-waist, revealing the naked upper body, once the cool touch of his necklace was finally brought to attention, Naruto leveled Sasuke a hard look, all confusion finally removed with certainty.

"You _were_ worried. Beats me why but you were."

"I carried you."

"What?"

Sasuke stood up. "I carried you into the hotel."

"Shikamaru-"

"-couldn't have done it. We were running out of time and he ran to search the room for the antidote. I took care of the missing nin, returned and found you on the porch almost dead."

Naruto opened his mouth to speak-but what was he to say? Right then the deceitful mind of his decided to conveniently whip out a memory from those few days ago and he recalled – vividly, suddenly – the feel of the other's body against him and the hands to have supported and held him up. But that didn't mean a thing, did it? No, it didn't, because Sasuke would rub this very fact in his face and expect what? Gratitude? It wasn't given, certainly not gratuitously, not when…

He gritted his teeth.

_Why does this piss me off so much now?_

A sound growl of displeasure was heard next as Naruto felt anger overflow him. "Well, awesome. Thank you for that, mister Uchiha, I solemnly swear it's never going to happen again-"

"Is it?"

"-ugh, yeah, I told you-"

"Did you really?"

"-and-damn it, Sasuke, stop interrupting me!" he bristled, shooting the other an indignant look but Sasuke would have none of that and suddenly having the other's tall figure loom above his had never felt this preaching and intimate.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Naruto, for interrupting you. I would never dare do that. Granted, speaking to a child only calls even for such puerile actions to be taken, so you must forgive me, Naruto, for I am to proceed as following."

To think he'd almost discarded the confusion… In full force it was all back and Naruto, blinkered by it, stared wolfishly. "What?"

Sasuke, unperturbed, continued. "Even if you'd screwed up by running after the enemy, you still could have taken care of them easily and without a sweat if you only possessed the focus, yet as it appears you can muster up enough of that only when faced with a strong enemy. That makes you weak, Naruto, for you can't ever utilize your powers properly and subconsciously underestimate everyone obviously not up to your par. They weren't strong, yet their focus granted them victory at first; had you, Naruto, fought properly, had you not acted the jolly champ you pretend to be, you'd have taken care of them all with ease, instead you failed completely and ended with a life-threatening injury. Your endeavor is repulsive."

A wince. Naruto tried to move to a standing position, the action translated to pulsating anger-but he felt a hand on his shoulder push him down and the next second Sasuke was sitting next to him, their faces too close, his own, scrunched up in seething grimace, exposed to Sasuke's cool reflection.

And the hand still hadn't left his shoulder. He felt it squeeze and, speechless, furrowed his brows, eyes disdainfully landing on the long pale fingers that felt surprisingly warm and surprisingly still there and subsequently his eyes travelled back to Sasuke's in a silent warning.

Sasuke, however, lacked the care at that moment.

Naruto lowered his head. "Ah, I see, is that you proposing something or are you just trying to make me feel like shit?"

"All insults bounce off you which renders the latter importunate."

"Eh?"

"If you continue being this reckless, you'll only further endanger your life. That, Naruto…" The hand slid down. "I don't care about. My only concern is that in the unforeseeable future any similar step taken could possibly put me at risk too and I refuse to die for a fool such as you. Knowing how life works, also, you would be the one to escape unscathed whereas I would suffer. That I will not permit to happen."

"Heh… Should have thought it would be something like that. What are you saying?"

Sasuke leaned forward and their noses touched. "We will train together."

"Train." The corners of Naruto's lips twitched upwards into a smirk. "Heh, I've been itching for a good fight since ever."

"Good. It's a deal."

"Starting when we get back."

"Yes. The sooner the better."

Heavy steps echoed from the corridor. Sasuke airily glanced at the direction of the door, recognition flickering in his eyes, before he pulled away, distance assuredly placed back between them and acting the gateway to all stuck in-between. Naruto's hands balled into fists and with a few seconds left before the intruder trespassed on their alternative universe, just as Sasuke stood to his feet with his back flauntingly turned, he spoke.

"Sasuke, don't think I'll let you patronize me. You might have carried me a few days back, but I swear to you that won't ever repeat itself again."

"You." Slowly uttered, a speck of taunt. "Don't like being carried by people, Naruto?"

"Heh… People? Nah, it's not about that. I just don't like the thought of you touching me in any other way unless we're beating the crap out of each other."

Was that surprise in Sasuke's eyes as he looked over his shoulder and at him? Who knew but Naruto easily dubbed it as bewilderment, the touch of the incoming reality resulting in a wider, contented grin to blossom on his face. Daintily he poked a finger in his cheek, the grin further spreading.

"Here, Sasuke. Don't forget to hit me here when we fight next." The finger slipped down and the hand pressed flat against his heart – right above the scar. "Because you'll never get here." _Thump._

_No, bastard, you're not getting here._

Sasuke didn't say a word and time knew no mercy, the entrance of Shikamaru disrupting the heavy air between them, dispelling all vice unabridged as his dark eyes landed in turns on Sasuke and Naruto, before the lips parted, a sigh of relief emitted from them. Sasuke's expression became devoid of emotions and he strutted from the room, the door slammed behind and prompting a ludicrous look from Shikamaru.

"What's gotten into him? Ah, never mind that. What a troublesome guy," he sighed, shrugging. "I don't really want to know. Anyway, I see you guys didn't kill each other while I was gone. How're you feeling?"

Naruto huffed and lay back on the ground. "Kinda okay, I guess… I guess."

"Hm? What's up?"

"What do you mean?"

Unwittingly Shikamaru occupied the seat Sasuke had before and Naruto's brows wrinkled at that, a sudden desire to shun him away erupting in his chest, because that seat was special and Sasuke's, but that was absurd.

Shikamaru cocked his head to the side. "I don't know? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were… glowing?"

"Glowing?" He snickered. "Nah… I'm not glowing."

"Positively glowing, too."

"Yeah, well… Sasuke and I are-"

"_Oh, god, I already feel the headache."_

Naruto pointedly ignored that, making a conceited face-"-gonna start training together."

As expected, Shikamaru made a disgruntled groan. "Oh, god, _indeed._ That isn't going to go well, you know?"

"Why?"

"Why? Jeez, Naruto, you and Sasuke are sort of like powerhouses, only whereas all of that power's usually under tight control, the moment you're to face each other, all of it is unleashed. Aahh… I just can't imagine-no, I don't _want _to imagine it. No."

"Meh. I think it's going to go well."

Shikamaru looked horrified. "Why?"

Naruto, this time, believed he did glow. "It's as you put it, no? When we fight, whenever we do fight, we unleash everything at each other… Huh, it's kind of dumb and sucky and just plain sad, if you think about it, but Sasuke and I can't talk, not using words… What we do best is fight. That can't ever go wrong." Ruefully, he grinned and felt rather than saw Shikamaru's exasperation.

"Ah… Naruto, you sound like a kid. Listen, it doesn't mean anything, it changes nothing, you know?"

If possible, Naruto's grin grew greater and he didn't deny – he felt warmth spread over his heart, even if the ever-blue eyes of his reflected the unease he felt, the fact he did not approve – committing to portraying with exaction the grieving contemplation in the hues. "In the past months since Sasuke's release, we've not spoken. Did you know that? Yeah. We don't talk. We don't even say good morning to each other. Imagine that? We live in the same place but pretend the other doesn't exist. Unless you count me telling Sasuke not to go too far and stuff like that and him snapping back something nasty. So. Only on missions do we talk but that's usually only to throw insults and… You see where I'm getting at? It's like… You think it's nothing. I agree. It's nothing. It's only just the biggest effing thing in five months. It is important, it's big. It's probably the best thing I'll ever get from him. It is, as Sasuke would put it, of great significance. Heh…"

Shikamaru's brows creased with worry, yet nonetheless he seemed to altogether give up. "Heh? Maybe…"

Naruto whooped a bit. "I can't wait. I'm itching for a good fight. Yeah, it's sad that we'll still hate each other, because this don't mean a damn thing, ya know? But, like." He craned his head to the side and put his hands under the head, the blanket kicked off and mirth in his tanned, flushed, beaming face. Positively glowing, Shikamaru had said? "This is only as good as it'll ever get between us. I'm not getting my hopes up, I don't want a thing, I won't get a thing, anyway."

Shikamaru shifted, paying, apparently, close attention.

Reveling in it for a bit, Naruto sighed happily and looked up at the ceiling.

"This is as good as it'll ever get. Between Sasuke and I."

As good, he thought, as it was always meant to get.

This little and small, truly actually insignificant, change.

Meant to never – arouse into anything else.

Never.

And ever.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, but the story idea is mine alone.

**A/N:** What to say? I'm sort of too late to manage one measly little sorry and be done with it, but the truth is- I do feel sorry ^^; I got into other things, got an author's block, had other things to do and all things combined – I suddenly did not want have desire, the will, the strength to continue writing… this chapter. Haha. I said on many occasions to many reviewers that I intended to finish this story no matter what and that still stands, so whereas it took me a while to finish this chapter, I never stopped thinking about it. Never. Every day this story crossed my mind. Every day. And not just once. So : ) Hopefully, I'll manage to somehow reorganize my schedule as in to fit everything there and manage to update on a more regular basis. On that note – one week might not be an option. Maybe two weeks? Oh, god, well. I'd love to keep it under two weeks because the time separation does not make the heart grow fonder in this case, but rather you get more time to detach from the story and I-don't want that.

So, I'm going to try to be good again 8| Definitely! And here I present to you the latest chapter… So. Wutcha think? Like, dislike?

**On a completely (un)related note… Oh, dear, how could I ever omit this? Dearest reviewers.** I got so many fantastic reviews. Just-wow. Just. Seriously? Amazing. Of course I had to get everything joggled up afterwards so I might have replied to some reviews twice – to some not at all, which is that awkward moment when you realize the author is so freaking out of it they don't even know what they're doing and yet you're having some expectations of them xD Oh, gosh, I fail so hard. But I loved those reviews lots :\ Gosh, it makes me so genuinely happy to get any at all and to have readers so-I could never leave this story. Could never just abandon it and you. Which means! DO STAY TUNED FOR MORE! More IS to come. And do keep reading, reviewing, everything 3 Because I love them all. And thank you!

As for this chapter… What to say? Naruto's started his glorious explanation. Finally, after all these chapters, you're getting the truth, bit by bit, from the only person in Konoha – who knows it.

Also, we'll be getting two kinds of flashbacks from now on and every Naruto's flashback which will relate to the explanation will follow directly right after a conversation with him mentioning and subsequently adding it was the prime time for another story; meaning, Naruto will bring it up, launch into an explanation and a flashback will immediately follow – a flashback NOT written in italics. Which also means there will be flashbacks WRITTEN in italics, which will be smaller… The reason why Naruto's big time explanation flashbacks won't ever be written in italics is because they're different; long, drawn out and essential to the story, I can't having the aftereffects distract you, so that's why. They also mean too much. Now.

Do you like, do you hate? What do you think? ; )

_In next chapter, things seem to have relatively calmed down and folks feel a mixture of joy and horror knowing Naruto is to share his heart-breaking love story with them. Of course, Naruto feels no such thing. And there is someone who feels more than anyone'd thought them capable of. Oh, dearest Kyuubi, when did you ever grow the heart to feel concern? _

**Rating:** PG-13 for themes, blood, swearwords, and **sexual undertones.**

Thanks for reading. Remember to R&R! x)

If you have any questions, add them in a review or message me personally :)


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter_Eleven

_I f__**ee**__l_

Intriguing?

But.

Nerve-grating.

She peered up at him, one eye squinted, and fumed. "What's the word? Ah, verbose. Well, ain't ya just feeling so verbose today? You sort of put the verb in verbose, if you know what I mean. And if you don't-for god's sake Shikamaru, couldn't you have made the story a bit shorter?"

Shikamaru smirked and leaned against the wall, hands stuck in his pockets. "No."

Ino let out a frustrated shriek. "Ah! _Gods._ Doesn't the word summary ring a bell?"

"Not particularly, no."

Ino huffed, scoffed and turned on her heel, melodramatically strutting off, but Shikamaru knew she was only going to the kitchen, which wasn't far so-

-he waited a few seconds before following after her. He found her at the sink, cutely washing the dishes like a housewife already and she tensed up, one eye sturdily falling on his figure before she clipped both eyes close and stuck her nose in the air, feigning anger and tenaciously washing the dishes.

Shikamaru shot her an amused look. "You might break them this way."

"So? My dishes. My business. Problem?"

"I thought you were making dinner."

"I am."

"Not really," he commented casually, waltzing over and taking one dish from her hand, grasping it between two fingers and looking her in the eye. "This way, you're just making a mess."

Ino stared back-then flushed a scarlet shade of red. "Shut up."

"Heh… Anyway, I'll make the dinner," he announced and-had but a second to relish in her astounded gasp before she was gently shoved aside, both hands dripping wet and astonishment in her eyes.

"What? Shikamaru, I'm not a cripple, I'm only pregnant," she said, hands on her hips.

"And you're already starting to show."

"So? Doesn't mean a thing."

"I'm helping. Out of my own desire. Is that bad?"

"Not particularly, no," she drawled out, mimicking his previous reply, to which Shikamaru grinned and for a while the trickling of the water filled the room.

And after that while was over, Ino's voice mingled with worry resounded around. "But knowing you're doing it to get your mind off other matters is slightly disconcerting, if not insulting. I'd like to think I'm good enough to garner Shikamaru's full attention, not just be that distraction he uses for the time being before he runs out of patience and runs off to chase after demons again."

Shikamaru's hands halted in the air, hovering above the sink. A window overlooked the kitchen, positioned directly in front of him with the beautiful, quaint sky above Konoha allowing some sunlight to stream inside. His eyes landed on one peculiar cloud, lingered there for one unforgivable moment, before he looked down at the running water.

"You're not a distraction. I want to be here."

"Lies. You always do this."

"I'd like to think I'm a man enough to decide for myself who I want to spend my time with. And if I, for once, just genuinely prefer your company over anyone's, who is to tell me otherwise?"

Several minutes later, the water was stopped and all dishes neatly laid side by side dripped wet over the ragged clothing underneath them. Shikamaru reached out to wipe his hands into it-and a towel was placed onto the palm of his left hand.

Ino then gave him a sympathetic smile, only a few marks of indignation marring her eyes. "You can be such an ass, Shikamaru."

Not knowing what else to say – not really thinking this moment to require any commentary –, Shikamaru grinned and accepted the towel.

"You said before you weren't to attend the meetings any longer, right?"

"Right," she replied and sat down, looking bored for a change. "Tsunade-sama and Sakura just freaked out, told me I should relax instead of working, that it could harm the baby. It's like-come on, I'm not some fragile flower, I can take care of myself. _And _the baby."

Shikamaru frowned. "I think it's you being the single mother that has them concerned this much. Otherwise they wouldn't be making much of it, and while it's not uncommon, it's not considered right if a mother is left alone to fend for herself and the child."

Ino growled and leaned back in a very un-lady-like way, legs spread a bit and nonchalance in the posture. "Jeez, it's not like it's their business anyway. I know what I'm doing," she added sourly, getting a mild look of discomfort from Shikamaru. "What? It's true."

"Uh-huh. Yeah. Have you told them the truth you?"

"What truth?"

He shuffled closer and leaned lazily against the table, its hard edge digging into his hip. "About the baby father."

Ino blinked and laughed, making a dismissive gesture with her hand. "Oh, _no._ They still think you're the father. Which is like-you kidding me? That's ridiculous. Know what I mean?"

"Of course."

A nod.

She seemed much persuaded.

Until the moment she realized he was only the guy who'd been coming over to help her with chores in the past two weeks – unbeknownst to those she apparently trusted with such things.

At least, Shikamaru suspected this exact idea crossed her mind and surely the redness on her cheeks signalized something, or otherwise he'd proclaim himself a fool and never try reading minds again.

But Ino looked deceptively coy and he knew he'd gotten it right. "Well, okay. But that doesn't count, right?"

"You could just tell them, you know, it's no biggie. I mean, you did tell me and not Sakura, which does sound strange…"

"Oh, shush, you." She shrugged him off and finally crossed one leg over the other. "It's so insane anyway. If I told them they'd freak out because it appears they're only looking for a reason to. Which I honestly don't get… We have a situation here and all they can do is just project and why-why, for heaven's sake, pick me? Ugh, I can't do this. I just want go out and kick someone's ass and rip them a new one. Is that such a bad thing?" Afterwards, she gave Shikamaru a pleading look that made him feel uncomfortable in all kinds of ways.

_Women. They never stop being scary. Just kind of grow into it._

He pulled at his collar, yanking it from his neck and gulping down fresh air. "Ah. Yeah. No, it's alright, I get it. They can't help it, I guess. Looking for new and innovative ways to pardon their ever-increasing level of… of who knows what."

"Hmp. So you told them the same thing like me?"

Shikamaru blinked at her. "Of course."

"See, how did they react?" she chirped cutely, leaning forward to prop her face on her hands. "Clueless as me?"

"Yeah, but that was to be expected. It is just the beginning, after all. Granted, to think that was the start of everything…"

"What do you mean?"

He sighed and pulled a chair for himself to sit on, the body of his seeking at least some level of comfort for a change if the mind would be awarded none whatsoever. "It's just that I remember it, you know? That day. I never thought much of it, never exactly pegged it as important, but when Naruto started talking, I realized I knew where it was going. It only proves what an ignorant fool I was but-I'm not asking for sympathy, Ino, it's alright,"-he added swiftly just as she was to interrupt him with a share of her wisdom,-"-but the point is that I remembered something, too."

She settled back. "Hm?"

Thinking back to that day so far away came to him with a strange ease and though the imagines of grayscale stood out from the rest, clear they still were and in them Shikamaru sought the answers. "It's strange… What Naruto told me was what he knew. And what he didn't tell me – is what he still isn't aware of. Because I, for an instance, know that he was out for three days and the whole time Sasuke didn't leave his side. Not even once."

Into the saucers her eyes widened and like a fish she gaped. "Not even once?"

"No. I'm not even joking… I know I dropped that guy like a hot potato when I realized I'd spent too much chakra on the fight to carry him upstairs, but then I was taking too long to find the antidote Sakura had provided for us just in case and I remember-I was starting to flounder about and panic, but then-there and then, the Uchiha just walked into the room with Naruto in his arms… I remember…" Having nothing else to do, Shikamaru permitted himself to smile. "I actually froze for a moment-because bridal style? It was so strange."

"Oh… Wow."

An indulging listener, wasn't she? Shikamaru rolled his shoulders back. "Yeah."

"Are you sure Sasuke didn't leave Naruto's side?"

"Ah, maybe I should have clarified."

"Hm?"

He didn't know why, but right then he shot Ino a cocky, petulant smile, as if knowledgeable of what was to come next-"Sasuke did not move from the post for the whole duration of Naruto's short-lived coma."

Ino almost jumped to her feet. "Eh? The whole time-that is, okay. Didn't he, you know? Shower, er, stuff?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Okay, mildly torn here?" Ever so expressive, she made a grimace and lifted both hands palms up, mimicking a scale, moving to either side every few seconds with confusion gnawing on her mind. "Should I be disgusted, should I be impressed?"

Shikamaru wanted to laugh. "You forgot confused."

"Why?"

"Well, wasn't Naruto's whole story based on the fact they hated each other? But clearly, such a thing isn't freely given to your enemy, less alone to someone you supposedly hate with passion as Naruto liked to claim."

"Oh, I see. That is true… And that really does make me confused. But how? How and why did Sasuke-wait, did you tell Naruto?"

"All this?"

"Yeah?"

"Ever or before?"

"Either? Both."

He wanted to groan. "No, I never did. Before, when I saw it, I just didn't understand a thing and seeing as I knew no answer would present itself to me, working with how secretive and guarded Sasuke was back then, a thing that's yet to change, just by the way, I gave up on the memory entirely, until Naruto's story brought it back. And I didn't tell him because it might mean a thing. Or not. I don't know. For once, I really don't know a thing. But I just get this feeling that won't leave me…"

"Feeling," echoed the woman, her eyes almost glued to his face as she surveyed him with the fascination she'd only ever held for the stars.

But fearing that he'd dwell on that too hard, he pushed it back and nodded, grim. "Yeah. Feeling. Just something that tells me it means something… A piece of puzzle, I guess, but there's just one and one isn't enough to work with. I need more."

"What did Naruto say?"

"Step by step, one story at a time. I'm not going to squeeze him for more, all depends on him, so until then we need to be patient."

"I see." An irrefutably understanding, patient woman, she nodded and did not further press the matter.

But her curiosity still seemed to get the best of her and she managed a weak, transient smile that begged for forgiveness and as Shikamaru simply closed his eyes, she eagerly launched on.

"Okay, so how did the others react? I mean, we got the clueless thing down but-"

"Yeah and that's about it." A grim reality, wasn't it? He offered her a smile similarly meek. "They pretty much realized the same thing as I did, so now there's a whole bunch of us genuinely confused and at a complete loss of what to do. But we're trying, stepping out to back him up. For once, we are doing the right thing. I think that's enough to make everyone uncharacteristically patient."

Ino's smile widened. "But you know they're secretly yearning to just shake the truth out of him, eh?"

"Not nearly as secretly as plain openly," he said, voice reeking of jest-

Ino threw her head back and laughed unabashedly. "Typical. But understandable? At either rate, what have you planned for today?"

"Today?" Marvelously astonished, he stared. "Well, get more information out of him but I don't think that will be happening soon and I no longer get assigned on missions so…"

"So you can help me cook lunch?"

"Or cook it for you?"

Ino waggled her eyebrows. "Or sit tight, stay put as I cook and prove I can take care of myself?"

"Really, Ino." Whole-heartedly, he laughed and leaned forward, joining their hands, joining their fingers and letting the tips graze over each other. "I never once doubted that."

She snickered. "Good." And blushed. "Really good! Okay, here I go!" And stood to her feet, spinning around, twirling like a flower fallen from the sky, running to and fro and impossibly red in the face the whole time, never looking directly at him, never looking away at the same time.

Shikamaru fell silent and watched her.

He'd be an idiot and a damned, godforsaken liar to claim he'd never looked at her properly, but the glow around her was compelling far too much this one time and this one time-he willingly let it sweep him off his feet and be the hidden allure of the night.

Tomorrow, he'd continue this twisted story again.

For today, he'd watch his old teammate.

And dream – willingly, understanding of the aftermaths, contradictions and hypocrisy now a part integrated deeply into him – of a world from a long ago when he'd lived in happy oblivion and little understanding, when he had, in a way, felt happy.

And he knew – this would be the very last time he committed to such an action, for the knowledge of the years to have led to this situation preceded all thoughts of survival and self, because he'd regretted his actions too honestly and devoutly to foolishly restart his mistakes again and because-he suddenly didn't see the appeal of ignorance.

Ino yelped in fright, noting a dark creature on the wall, but the creature was squashed with a swift wipe of the spatula and Shikamaru continued to watch, a smile twitching on his lips.

Or maybe tomorrow would come now, maybe he'd be decisive for a change and never once fear of opening himself to this world of truth.

No matter how vulnerable it made him feel.

"Okay, Shikamaru, learned yakisobu at last, I'll make it for you, what do you say?"

"Anything, Ino, you make, I will eat."

Vulnerable under the tight scrutiny of her mirthful eyes too reminiscent of his.

But no matter.

Some color could be found even in the world of black-white.

Because-before he knew it himself, he was standing to his feet, hands grasping hers and leading them over the vegetables she was clumsily cutting, and her ringing laughter filled his ears, the bell of freedom to dispel the dark magic of fright and life placed down on him finally the previous nights.

Together they cooked, together they ate, together they laughed.

At least for one blissful today.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

"Bam! You're dead. Headshot, pregnant!"

The girl stared back. "… What?"

Kiba sighed. "Oh, never mind."

To his side, Shino was faking oblivion. Kiba scoffed and crossed his hands over his chest. "Never mind, never mind, we were just making sure you're okay, since you got injured by that attack days ago."

A gasp-then the girl blinked and smiled. "Oh, why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Yeah, why, Kiba?" muttered Shino under his breath.

Kiba rolled his eyes. "You people can't appreciate my glorious sense of humor. At any rate-"-he added quickly as Shino seemed to ready another sarcastic remark on his tongue, which was correct-"you appear alright, so we'll be on our way."

She nodded, appearing eager. "Oh, right, bye!"

"Hah. Che," he cursed, turning on his heels, hands stuck in pockets as together with Shino they walked off.

A few moments later, Shino allowed his words of sanctity to ruin the moment. "Kiba, you're restless, is anything bothering you?"

"Me? Nah."

Akamaru barked.

Shino nodded. "I see. You appear disconnected. Would the recent findings be troubling you? Maybe you should have excused yourself when Shikamaru returned with the news."

"News? What news-oh, _that._ Why would I excuse myself? It's not like Shikamaru returned with anything startling."

"To counter your claim, I recall you flinching when it was brought up Sasuke had guarded over Naruto day and night for three days."

"Not true, pal, not true," muttered Kiba under his breath.

Whether Shino agreed or not remained unknown, as wordlessly they walked on afterwards; at least Shino himself felt no desire whatsoever to be wasting precious time on persuasion, when obviously Kiba didn't want to see it. He'd never been taught the wonders of wasting time, efforts or words on anyone undeserving of that all, so while Kiba continued to fume and look visibly troubled with something, Shino kept to his own thoughts mostly.

It didn't matter that it felt a bit like being on his own, for his bugs kept him company and unlike man known for fickleness, they remained dutifully silent and loyal to their comrade, buzzing softly under his skin and filling his mind with a sense of calm only people of his clan understood.

Granted, he'd have to address the issue of Kiba's petulance sooner or later, given how absurdly unmanageable the man was acting and should he hesitate for any big longer, like a volcano Kiba would erupt and-that would be a nuisance, would it not?

From the corner of his eyes perfectly shielded by the round black spectacles perched up on the nose, he surveyed Kiba's slightly shorter, hunched over figure, noting the obvious discomfort in his step and the way even his dog companion would here and there look at him worriedly.

He would have continued pondering this all over hadn't Kiba actually passed by the building they'd been meant to scan for damage and intruders, which meant he was far too troubled to pay attention to his surroundings and that, in the world of ninja, equaled certain death.

Now, whether believable or not, Shino did worry for the well-being of his friends, and thus he halted in his steps, knowing that while Kiba walked on blindly, he'd eventually notice the absence of his companion which would ensure the moment of privacy and-

Kiba stopped and turned to side. "Huh, Shino?" Then he noticed where his friend had disappeared.

Shino managed a sigh and over to him. "Kiba, I believe we need to consult one particular issue."

"Oh?"

"Yes. It's acting a liability and I'm afraid it could put our lives to risk in a case of leaving it unattended."

"What is it?"

"You." No-nonsense, down-to-earth, curt and direct approach. Shino approved.

Kiba, if his flabbergasted expression stood for anything, did not. "What? I'm the problem? Jeez, man, what's gotten into you?"

Hm, the anger was well-deserved, well-placed and not at all gratuitous. Shino nodded and pointed to the nearby rooftop. "Let's talk over there," he said and the chakra surge to his feet sent him flying high above before he landed precisely in the middle of the unoccupied, arduous rooftop, where soon afterwards Kiba along with Akamaru landed with a loud discontented huff. Again, well-placed.

"So what's that about me being the problem, eh?"

Ah, slight aggravation in his voice. Shino seized him up and down. "I've noticed something is troubling you and believe we should address the matter now."

"There's nothing bothering me," snapped Kiba back.

Shino's brows rose. "Despite that you're reacting with obvious irritation."

"Of course," scoffed Kiba. "Here you are, spreading lies and some nasty rumors about me. Never pegged you as the gossip kind."

"Kiba." Shino stepped forward – and Kiba backed away. If that didn't mean a thing, then he was a blind and foolish man. "What _are _you talking about?"

"Nothing whatsoever obviously," grumbled the man. "Ah, whatever, this is annoying me. I'm not the source of all problems here, so screw this."

"You're not the source, but you're obviously bothered. I worry for you, friend."

"Worry for me? Hm. Worry means nothing. Look, can we stop this gay charade and just bugger off already?"

"I see. Now I understand what's going on."

"What?"

Obviously, he'd not realized it yet and Shino pondered if he ought to feel privileged he'd be the one to break it to him – or flinch upon realization he was to bring up this delicate matter.

"You've been awfully tense since yesterday night. It's quite obvious what keeps your mind in that disorderly state, turmoil. Kiba." Another step taken forward. This time, obstinate, Kiba did not budge. "Why does the matter of Sasuke and Naruto bother you this much?"

"Hah, bullshit, it doesn't. Now can we just leave?" He turned on his heel and readied for a jump.

Shino couldn't help but look away. "I see. So it is a friend who'll suffer from mistrust, it is your faithful companion to receive the full strength of your blows."

Kiba didn't leave.

Over the edge of the building he hovered, his ever loyal Akamaru gazing up at him sorrowfully and silence welcomed them all, thick with tension that Shino had been aware for a while. Maybe he was to blame for this obvious increasing feud between them, but he'd never felt more enraged with a situation – even if the obvious calm he carried with himself acted more of an evidence to detachment than anything else, and should anyone peel his clothing off, a placated, dispassionate face show.

But despite that all, deep inside, Shino raged on.

For to lose a friend over this – he'd never accept.

And still Kiba hadn't left.

Solemn, Shino watched the other's back, watched the short, brown strands flicker in the wind of the sunny afternoon, watched the man turn around until Kiba's eyes submerged under guilt met his.

Then Shino knew he'd not acted too late.

"No… The friend is not to suffer of that," spoke Kiba slowly, carefully, treading on thin lines and walking towards that friend, until both shared a mutual agreement and trudged towards the nearby wall to lean against it, Akamaru following, confused.

Shino waited-Kiba chewed on his lower lip.

"Sorry, Shino, I didn't mean to snap."

"It's quite alright. I understand your mind is heaved down. That is understandable."

"No, it's freaking not and you know that. _My_ actions are not justified."

Shino blinked. "Yours? Why the emphasis on your actions?"

Kiba shot him a sour look. "Nothing. I just… Look, do you want complete honesty?"

"Always."

"Fine. Truth is." He shifted. "I hate this. I freaking hate this whole thing. And I don't get it. I just… I just don't. It's too much. It's too confusing. And, also… I feel like such an ass but I wish we'd not done a thing."

"What do you mean?"

For a while, Kiba didn't speak and Shino suspected he was weighing the words, considering what to reveal and what not, before the weight of the situation finally rolled off his chest and without filter he launched into a spiteful, frustrated explanation.

"We shouldn't have done a damn thing, that's what I believe. Yeah, that thing between Sasuke and Naruto? I know it sucks, I know I am an ass-I feel like one, but I believe we should have kept ignoring it. Yeah, Kiba wants that very ignorance Shikamaru spoke of with almost tears in his eyes and damn, I'd never seen him look more wrecked than at that moment but I still think we should kept ignoring it. Even if it was ignorance that had started it, I don't care. Because truth is – isn't it? – we had caused it all. If we'd not done a thing, Sasuke would still be around and Naruto would be happy. That's how it is. And there's no denying it. We contributed to the whole circle of bullshit and pain. _We caused it, Shino_."

Bravely, he spoke of tears in eyes, unaware of own pair glistering just as much.

"You act as if there were no way out, Kiba."

"And is there? There ain't. Because what Sasuke did? You can dislike someone but once you say it, there's no going back. Once those words leave your mouth, _there's no turning back._ And what he did? He went too far. Just too far. Proved to everyone around he hated Naruto."

"But does he really?"

"Oh, yeah, let's just doubt that. I don't care, actually. Because… Because Sasuke did that and whatever he meant doesn't matter. He… Broke Naruto. And Naruto is now breaking everyone else."

_So this is the problem?_ Shino thought. "You genuinely believe all our actions are for naught."

Kiba swore. "I know I'm a detestable being for saying this, but I _genuinely_ believe we shouldn't have done a damn thing. Sure, the thing they had going on was pretty damn twisted no matter how you looked at it, but it was their thing, their personal business, not ours. What gave us the right to act, huh? Nothing. Just our own problems. It was so easy to look at them and go all – ew, how horrid, instead of looking deep inside and realizing we're all just sick twisted fucks dying of plain envy because we ain't got the same thing. Because." His voice dropped to only a level above inaudible and he lowered his head, as if ashamed. "We all know we could never get anything even remotely similar to that. That… _Bond."_

Shino looked up at the sky, appearing composed – while his insides twisted in disgust. "Do we have to suffer of the absence of love?"

"Love," repeated Kiba. "Is something I think fails miserably when compared to them. We failed. We screwed up. If we'd continued being ignorant…"

"Sasuke may have still hurt Naruto," added Shino but Kiba awarded him with a scruffy look and a grunt.

"So? At least we'd have been spared this misery. And this… situation. Damn. At least people wouldn't have to get hurt. I wonder how Ino feels."

"Ino?" Unexpected. How did she compute into this? "She's not related to this particular issue."

"Damn straight she is. I mean, she's pregnant and she's a single ma and while she hasn't said a word about her baby daddy, it's all kind of obvious she'll be raising the child all alone."

Though the face perfectly covered, ensuring this the exact look of bewilderment would not show easily, Kiba seemed to note his unease and smirked pointedly.

"You don't get it, do you? I do. Look, she's going to be a mother. Pregnant-what, four or five months in? For the longest time, she loved Sasuke and then she kind of learned to love Naruto. Everyone knew she had this cute crush on our leader, cute and innocent enough we all let it be, and then shit hit the fan and she wasted her days and nights worrying for Sakura and everyone else. And imagine her baby's going to be born into this because, let's be honest, eh? This problem won't get resolved here and now. It's going to take ages, hell, months and in months her baby will be born into a world super unhappy and we know she's sensitive, we know she'll take it to her heart no matter how tough and feisty she is. We know… Children aren't meant to share the suffering of their parents. But the way things are now… She might as well miscarry…"

Softly, Akamaru whined. Shino felt a heavy burden settle on his heart.

Kiba moved off the wall, body in a permanent seizure of agony, slouched over and expression marred by a deep and terrifying grimace of disdain. "And Hinata? Hell, she didn't deserve it. I get it, right? Naruto's hurt. But he hurt Hinata back. He keeps hurting everyone back. Here we are, just trying to set things in order, make things right, worrying our asses off for him because we feel like we'd screwed up, and what is he doing? Locked up in his room, just wallowing in self pity and making everyone feel even worse. We knew he never loved Hinata that way, but that was a low blow. She didn't deserve that."

He gritted his teeth, swallowed hard. "None of that."

And Shino understood.

Kiba averted his eyes. "And I do feel like an ass. Is it wrong I wish we'd ignored it? Should I feel like this?"

"Yes, you should."

"Right. I should. Well, I do, so that's fine."

Shino felt the muscles momentarily tense – before all dissolved and in bliss he stared blankly ahead. "I envy you, my friend."

"Envy?"

"You are the least and yet most involved with this."

"Huh?" Utterly confused, Kiba turned back to stare and Shino acknowledged the pain in his glare.

"True enough, ignorance is wrong, but I understand where you're coming from. We got ourselves involved and now we suffer the consequences and – along the way, ignore everything else. It is wrong to hope for the same mistake to repeat itself, but in no way should you take the blame, Kiba, for your stance right now speaks of more brains than I'd ever seen in a person." At last, Shino could conclude he understood. And also that he admired. His dearest friend for this brave stand he was making for himself. "You have such an enormous amount of compassion for your dear fellow man that it leaves me speechless, but it is admirable, my friend, to see so much strength in one sole man, so much of that directed in all the right places. In that case, you shouldn't feel the least amount of regret for feeling that way, as you are doing the right thing. After all, if we are to only blindly look ahead, blinkered by our belief we are to find the right path, who will cover our backs, tend to our wounds as we step onwards, ignorant, ironically enough, for once, to our surroundings?"

Kiba's confusion didn't falter one bit, but Shino saw the clarity present in his eyes and saw also that at least some of the filth gathered there had been cleaned and wiped away – that at last Kiba was to feel the trademark confidence in self.

"You're saying…"

"You are doing the right thing, Kiba. I can't blame you for that. You are not just looking in one direction, you're doing a lot more anyone could have asked for. In this excruciating time, your voice of reason is just the only pillar of support around. Admirable, truly, to see you not sway under the weight of our mistakes, of their mistakes… It is you who we need the most at the moment."

Silence.

Gratification.

Kiba, well – Shino didn't wish to read minds, but having that option right now would, perhaps, open a new world to him. He wondered how it felt to feel the least bidden and released from the constrictive hold of a chain, and the ponderous thoughts wouldn't leave him be even when Kiba put more considerable distance between them by nearing the edge once more – this time for sure to jump and leave the entirety of the conversation behind.

"I want to go talk to Naruto."

"Why?"

"Because…" Kiba let out a small, mellowed sigh. "I want to shout his ears off and make him apologize to Hinata. Is it wrong?"

Shino made a noncommittal sound, stepping forward to stand right beside Kiba. "You're essentially discarding all we stand for by cruelly requesting that very thing our leader appears incapable of at the moment and you're intending to go there very well aware of the impact your demand will have on Naruto, very well aware it'll only wound him more and make him painfully aware to the path of disarray he's leaving behind, which might just be the stab to his heart he doesn't need at this moment."

Kiba shot him a startled look and Shino nodded.

"It's only as right as it could ever get."

A moment later, Kiba cocked his head to the side, expression speaking of bemusement, but the lips twitching into a hopeful smile.

Shino put a hand on his shoulder. "You have my full support, my friend."

The sun shining above their heads could have been cursed back and forth countless of times in the past, but this time its luminance was greatly welcomed and accepted.

This time they were meant to appreciate it all and bask in its eternal sunlight because Shino knew in his friend he'd found the very source of solace.

In his friend so wrongly accused of treachery and blasphemy, yet in reality as deeply concerned and brimming with those incessant worries all to ensnare his heart.

Kiba's shuddering breath and rueful, beseeching smile were to prove that.

His hand landed on Shino's, holding it there firmly.

"Thank you, Shino. It helped."

Shino could only squeeze the hand back and allow it to slip away. For now. "Whatever else are friends for if not support?"

Yet only for now.

With one last look speaking of "many thanks", both jumped off the building and resumed in their duties, never to look back.

_Only for now, my dearest friend._

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

"Tsunade-sama…"

"Do me a favor." She crouched down, hand tracing the foot imprint on the ground.

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

"Oh."

Thankfully, the man knew when to listen, even if his previous obnoxious attitude had suggested otherwise and Tsunade reveled in the silence at last offered to her, even if not on a silver plate. For a moment or two, she immersed herself in a close inspection of the surrounding area, the chirping of the birds around creating a sweet little melody for her ears which she'd not heard properly in years and would, unfortunately, have to ignore even this time.

After a while a man appeared to her right, trudging begrudgingly and a slightly helpless look on his features which she recognized as a sign of failure, and as they came face to face, he shook his head and Tsunade sighed, before letting her own failure show on her face.

"Yamato, so I see even you return empty-handed."

He made a grimace. "Ah, yes. It's unfortunate but the trail has gotten cold. We've got nothing at all. It appears we really won't be able to find the matching seals."

Tsunade sighed. "Yeah. This merely proves how far ahead Sasuke had planned."

"Ah. Should the remaining teams retreat, Tsunade-sama?"

"Huh, it's getting late." Aggravated, she looked up at the sky almost as if to curse the sun for giving them this little time. "Only an hour until sunset. There's no point in searching now, we should get back to Konoha. Call all the teams, the search is postponed until tomorrow, then we'll scout the remaining area."

It wasn't Yamato who ran off, but the other jounin who'd previously done a marvelous job of grating on her nerves; into the bushes he disappeared, yet later a rumble shook through the earth and to the sky a high earth wall rose, alerting all nearby teams to return to the starting point pronto, and both Yamato and Tsunade shared a look.

"Do you think we'll find anything at all?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" she retorted, only subtly obscuring her disappointment. "I think it's time to give up. Sasuke was far too many steps ahead and it wouldn't surprise me if he'd erased the seals before we even realized what was going on."

"I see. This situation really is hopeless…"

Tsunade scoffed. "Yamato, this isn't like you."

"Ah, well, I was hoping we'd find at least something, even if I wasn't exactly getting my hopes up. And you say the autopsy reports reveal nothing?"

"A strange substance of unknown origins in their blood but as I have no way of figuring out what is it… Nothing at all. Whatever Sasuke did, he couldn't have done it better to elude us all completely. And his alleged betrayal might just not be alleged at all."

A group of up to twenty high-level chuunin flooded the area and Tsunade let out a heavy sigh. "At least Shikamaru's getting somewhere…"

Ah, yes, Shikamaru and his attempt considered futile prior to his sudden reappearance in the doorway and the following exclamation of "I bring news". She'd deemed his efforts to mean nothing at all and even if the story he shared had whiffed of abundance, still it'd made that little difference they'd needed, that silver lining they couldn't have hoped for.

But still. It didn't mean she'd sit tight and wait for more. Naruto wasn't acting, instead letting them do all the work while turning a blind eye to reality and his blatant refusal to accept the truth was slowly reaching a breaking point; understanding well how a Hokage was meant to work, Tsunade knew soon there would be repercussions and that, despite the futility of her wrath directed at the young man, she didn't want to witness.

Soon everyone had gathered and all teams were dispatched back to Konoha with her decisive words and she couldn't help the flourishing of the pride inside her – as still many considered her the Hokage. Mostly now. Only now when theirs seemed an apparent failure. That she conceded to, acting the replacement for the time being – yet fully hoping in the restoration of his abilities.

Because…

Because he wasn't meant to turn into a docile, lifeless doll. And not perish this cruelly.

_Never this cruelly, you young fool._

"Ah, Kakashi-senpai!"

Roused from her reverie by Yamato's voice, Tsunade stopped in her tracks, landing with a grace on the nearby branch to sway slightly beneath her weight, before her semi-narrowed eyes landed on Kakashi.

"Kakashi, what are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you," replied the man coolly, stopping at a safe distance of few feet from the pair and assuming the trademark mask of nonchalance. "I met the other teams along the way, got their brief reports."

"Ah, so now even you know we haven't discovered anything," said Yamato, voice dreary and Kakashi sighed before shooting Tsunade a dark look.

"Is it true, Tsunade-sama? Is there honestly nothing?"

Tsunade grimaced; as if her societal status could ever change a thing. She didn't do miracles and as unfortunate as that was, no impromptu quick glance about would shed light upon them, even if she certainly did wish for such miraculous powers. Ah, well.

She shrugged and answered simply-"Nothing at all."

Both Yamato and Kakashi looked a bit like somebody had kicked them. While Tsunade could definitely relate, having felt that very same way far too often in the past weeks, she, for once, didn't feel like offering that figurative shoulder to cry on, seeing as even she needed one such person to mend her wounds. No matter what people liked to think, she was only human.

Even if…

Heavily, Tsunade sighed.

"Tsunade-sama, is everything alright?"

One brow quirked in a laconic fashion, Tsunade looked at Kakashi, the answer spelled in penance.

Kakashi managed a helpless look, backing away slightly.

A firecracker, she'd go down in fashion, even under these plain annoying circumstances, yet a part of her claimed she was being too harsh on the poor men – and another fought it was her right and privilege to mistreat those of that supposed stronger sex, for if not women, who else would assist in keeping their egos under check? Ah, she could already feel the upcoming headache as a mere, direct and misfortunate result of all those rampaging thoughts and considered herself most lucky; Kakashi and Yamato only endearingly confused would look, the minds flailing underneath all pressure applied and giving away with the steam evaporating from their ears and rising in the air in an alluringly slow fashion.

_Bastards._

And headache. Oh, headache. And her behavior truly was uncalled for; despite her previous offensive thoughts, Kakashi and Yamato seemed to be regarding her with concern and clarity unmatched by their kin, as if suspecting of the direction of her thoughts and Tsunade had to admit – she needed a break. Something to distract her from these troublesome and busy days when to and fro she'd run, commanding people when it wasn't her job and she was but an aging lady with no grandchildren to keep her company, only the loyal memories of hers to follow with precision each step taken.

She knew, also, that these skewered thoughts weren't coincidental.

Nothing in this world was.

But she wouldn't go there – not in her mind, not anywhere else, even if enclosed in a bubble of privacy so tight air-proof would be for-admitting in any way that it was him putting her in this disposition-

"Tsunade-sama-"

"I'm fine," she snapped-and offered the dark-haired man an apologetic look.

At that moment it became apparent – both Kakashi and Yamato knew. Had known for a while, perhaps, for a knowing, pointed look they exchanged and Tsunade considered ushering them away at once before their incessant worries made themselves tangibly known yet-maybe it was foolish of her to be acting this petulant, when there was no evil in seeking aid.

None whatsoever.

"Tsunade-sama, there's no harm in admitting you're tired," spoke Kakashi slowly, drawing a sympathetic look for Yamato, but Tsunade didn't dismiss them.

"Maybe, but this is no time for such discussion."

"The teams can wait. Better yet, they'll have reached Konoha by now," said Kakashi.

Tsunade scoffed. "It doesn't matter. I can deal with this and before you say a thing-the likeness is just accidental," she added right as either was about to point out, as she suspected, that they all knew a person known for apparently being able to handle things.

Kakashi blinked. "At least, so you'd like to think," he interrupted her chain of thoughts, eliciting a hiss of disapproval from Yamato. "Don't look at me that way, it's true. I understand this is affecting us all but I thought we'd have learned from our past mistakes never to mistrust each other again. It was the dishonesty that first and foremost resulted in this situation, so while you might deem the matter as personal, private and insignificant, Tsunade-sama, your fatigue is ours just as well and matters greatly." He shifted. "In the grand scheme of things, each detail previously forgotten matters. We're all in the same team. You should know that."

_You should know that._

She should.

Not look at the ground, not express pity – still, Tsunade understood she'd been chastised in success. And Kakashi was right.

Completely right.

"You are right." I am sorry. No? Yes, she was. Immensely, extremely so – but maybe not about this. Actually… A castaway look on her features as she looked above at the few patches of sky visible through the crowned trees.

_Definitely not about this._

She sighed. "I am tired. Just tired." Known fact being shared this openly might not have meant much, but she knew she'd already progressed enough, having discarded a portion of that unfathomable pride very few were aware of. Kakashi and Yamato had different looks in their eyes for a change, mildly curious but accepting on a whole, and the handful of information so easily shared by a number of insignificant gestures threatened to startle her; more than ever before, Tsunade was aware of her vulnerability in this grand world.

Woosh – raspy, tickling breath of the wind on their faces, the midnight sun nearing-

"_The trees."_

Trees? Tsunade looked at Kakashi to see the man fixating his gaze upon the very trees; to have been of interest immense enough to see the façade otherwise cool lose all that icy quality and become this vigorously scrunched up was peculiar, but to see the man's entire body tense as a follow-up action before Tsunade's previous thought had even finished was distressing.

"Trees?" she echoed sullenly, and her answer was a tentative step forward – then the man's jaw tightly clenched, a certain overbearing spasm coming over his features, intense enough in its sheer strength she'd seen all his muscles clench. But resistance was futile. And soon.

Kakashi was the messenger bearing all signs of abuse of an untold story.

Untold – for only as long as this message would take the time to register in _your_ mind.

"Treetop. The_ treetops_." He cursed.

Tsunade wasn't getting it – and mystified, the weight of the notion burdening down Yamato as well, she looked up as well. "Kakashi, explain."

Kakashi stepped forward, the small of his hand pressed flat against the large tree trunk, most minuscule in comparison to the tree to have been there for centuries no doubt – to have witnessed the wonder of human evolution and mind recession, to have seen the blood spilled and-

-something, tinkered with, roused, in Tsunade's mind flashed and she felt a thing akin to puzzle pieces snapping together rubbed against the back of her eyes.

Then she watched intently, feeling – there was something to be seen, but what-what exactly on Earth was it-what exactly had enraptured the man's attention so-what in the hell was it-

-her blood boiled.

And Kakashi was the master.

The master of deceit in terms of power and knowledge, for who would have pegged him this masterful and all-seeing, the omniscient lord of tell and tale? Who could have known – that worry would lace his gaze with perturbed passion, have it rest upon the tree – find an answer?

Snap.

There goes the end of our precious tale.

The tale which Tsunade would read vehemently, for finally – all was coming together.

"The treetops, Tsunade-sama," continued Kakashi after a painstaking moment. "We never checked from the treetops. We assumed Sasuke would have stuck to the ground, his affinity with fire the source of our beliefs, but… We forgot that Orochimaru would have taught him a lot more." His expression snapped to portray the endeavor of an enraged mother mourning the loss of her child. "Deceit and trickery."

Yamato did not waste a moment. Did not wait for further. No-one did.

One after another, they all jumped further up, their bodies lacking the feathery grace of a cat flying up and – without a doubt they felt; the shaking to the core of their beings, the eyes recognizing the diminutive lack of light and the sun disappearing on the horizon, and the fact that while still unsaid, the burden of the fact to have gone by ignored urged them on.

Because the idiots had never thought of that.

Of Sasuke's diverse skill, of Sasuke's supremacy, because it felt darn painful to admit someone even thirty years your junior had become your teacher – had you rendered the pitying pupil, because Tsunade hated to admit to herself – that Sasuke-

-that Sasuke as a ninja was a foe scarily powerful. And far too supreme, indeed, for anyone's good.

Her feet skidded across the trunk, leading the body to jump back, the feet to land on the highest branch-

"We should have realized it, should have seen it coming. Damn," she cursed under her breath and scanned the surrounding trees.

"Sasuke may have built a seal," said Yamato, solemn, wind slashing at his face without care. "But his feet may have never touched the ground."

Tsunade gritted her teeth. Feeling as though slapped across her face, an involuntary flinch followed-livid. That's what she was. Livid at herself, body shaking, something like a tremor cursing her for her capricious assumptions, for the simple fact that she had overlooked it as well. To have-

"What's that?" Kakashi tiptoed forward, the branch underneath the weight of his body threatening to buckle and split-

-to have ignored just that, the gleam of the dot almost unnoticeable in the distance, and it was the source of light disappearing from the sky, the radiance brighter and colorful by sheer accident alerting them to it-

-to it.

It.

The stupid. Liquid. Dry. On the nearby try. Just a small nothing, just a small thing.

But, _really_. How many animals, how many birds would climb up that high, land that low, perch themselves up and leave an evenly jagged vertical line glistering from afar on the highest piece that, sticking out like a sore thumb, lone and single, lacked leaves – lacked life.

"Blood," hissed Yamato through tightly, painfully clenched teeth. "Human touch."

Tsunade frowned, making a beeline for the tree, her body carried gracefully through the air and landing on a sturdy-looking branch that almost could not bear the sudden jump but the few moments sufficed.

"Blood," she hissed as well, noting the pattern of the blood smudge, how it appeared to form an unknown symbol.

_One of Orochimaru's cursed secret jutsu,_ no doubt, she thought grimly, casting a sage look around. The two men did not need to hear any more; her expression alone, she knew, had sufficed; they parted ways, either jumping in a different direction and Tsunade soon followed, their bodies a blur smeared across the darkening skies as from a tree to tree they jumped – the visit they paid it short-lived and brief – and the whole exchange may have lasted but a few minutes.

By the end of it, they all knew.

"This," said Kakashi, jumping on the ground next to Tsunade and Yamato-"-is a seal." An expression of immense fear overcame his features. At least, in Tsunade's mind there was no place for doubt; at that precise moment, suddenly confronted with a portion of Sasuke's truest skill, they all felt the same sensation cripple their senses. Fear.

Tsunade pressed her hand against her head, nursing that incoming, splitting headache.

"Sasuke has surpassed all our expectations." It was too late and the headache had arrived, hitting her full force and making the aged bones creak in fury. Tsunade, for all her power, had never felt so useless. She closed her eyes.

"He did not just create a gateway for himself."

A shaky breath taken. She winced and-wanted to. Curl into a ball. Never see the light of the day. Know that in this world, a monster this great existed.

He was, she suddenly knew, their biggest and darkest foe.

This male…

"_He turned the entire forest into a seal."_

Who made them a fly.

_Naruto, did you know? Did you ever know what this male was capable of, how susceptible to ignorance, stupidity we were? Did you know – the man you loved was far beyond everyone's reach?_

Tsunade turned on her heel – sped to Konoha.

Sped, Kakashi and Yamato in her tow, but they were too slow and she too fast, copious amounts of chakra wasted to propel her through the air like a bullet – as she ran, ran and ran, the burden of this terrible secret they'd discovered making her slam into leaves and grass and leave behind terrible crates of her power.

They all knew that.

That never.

Ever.

Had they ever stood a chance against this _man._

If anyone did, it was that withered young male residing in the Hokage tower, and-

_We've never needed you this much._

A branch was torn down, split in half.

_NARUTO._

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Kiba gave the guard a sleazy smile and leaned against the wall. The guard, however, being a male, was not affected.

Kiba's resolved faltered for a bit, but he regained his vigor a split second later, leaning closer in and grinning wickedly. "Come on, come on, I just want to see an ol' friend of mine. Is that bad?"

The guard didn't even blink. "Hokage-sama doesn't wish to be disturbed."

"Boy, I'm not disturbing him," said Kiba, the humor leaving his voice. "I just want to talk to an old friend of mine."

"Cannot happen. Impossible!"

Kiba stared at him for a while, then tsk-ed. "Okay, okay, whatever… Whatever, man."

The guard relaxed-

-Kiba pushed past him like he was nothing, his cheerful disposition lighting up the long hallway and his radiant smile profoundly confusing the guard out of his jolly mind. "I'll just have to force an entry then! No problem!"

Akamaru launched on the man's arm before he even had the chance to act, hand outstretched on pure instinct, and he let out a horrific shriek, genuinely believing the dog to be an evil creature set upon tearing his arm off and mauling him to death. His screams alerted the other guards and one by one the rushed to the scene of crime.

Kiba, however, did not seem to notice – or care.

He walked on-marched, in fact. Marched on, marched inside Naruto's private chambers, all guards a few steps behind him – leaned against the doorframe, knocked mockingly and only for good measure against the cool surface of the door-

"Yo, Naruto, we gotta talk."

-and Naruto turned to look at him, expression morose.

Something in Kiba, at that moment, snapped.

Without further ado, he rushed towards the man and his hand shot out, curling around Naruto's robes and lifting him off the ground. Behind him, there was chaos, panic – mayhem. Three pairs of hands instantaneously found his, attempting to pry him off their beloved sage, because it was wrong and what guarantee did they have he wouldn't hurt him, hurt the man already hurt enough? Oh, no guarantee? Well.

Kiba growled.

_Fuck you, people. Just fuck you._

"Kiba, what are you doing?"

"You're going to hurt the Hokage!"

"Kiba-san, stop it!"

"Kiba!"

"Kiba-san-stop him, hold him off-"

"T-trying, but he won't budge-"

"Don't use any jutsu, he could hurt the Hokage-"

"D-don't-"

Slowly the said man hurt and wounded deeply enough he should have died by now looked up at him, crystal blue eyes directed at Kiba's-

-and in them something vicious and angry.

Kiba's hold on Naruto loosened.

_So you are not completely lost, are you, Naruto?_

"What's this all about, Kiba?" asked Naruto, tone somewhere between calm and angry, potentially indignant for all Kiba knew, and Kiba shook all three men off, regaining his hold on the Kage for all as long as he could.

"Came to cuss you out, that's all," he replied smoothly. Naruto's brows twitched, a minuscule frown creasing his features. Without much care for the world, he put his hand around the one holding him in place-applied pressure.

_Holy mother of-_

**Pain. **

Like someone had put a boulder on his arm. Or-

A mountain. The goddamn mountain. _A building._

Just so much pressure on his muscles, forcing him to go down, for his knees to buckle and he realized, with dismay, just as he hit the ground and the hand involuntarily lost of grip on Naruto, that he'd been injected with chakra; a portion viperous, voracious enough his body would have lost balance and had him spiral downwards had he not been the friend to receive mercy, and it was the closest to fear he'd come, the closest to a blow he'd received without any hit making contact.

He blinked.

_Naruto, what the __**hell**__ are you?_

"Ho… Hokage sama-"

"Go, leave us."

"Hokage-sama-"

Naruto rolled his shoulders back. "Just go. Kiba called it; we gotta talk. So we're going to talk."

The group of three shared a look. Begrudgingly, casting confused, hateful looks at Kiba's direction – no doubt peeved about being chastised by their lord –, they trudged outside, remembering their manners and closing the door behind. At that moment, Kiba wasn't sure whether to feel glad for that or horrified, for the prospect of being in sealed off area with that person to leave his ego appalled didn't bode with him well. In fact, at that moment, he would have rather been outside that door as well.

But then, the show Naruto had put up was gone and the morose quality returned to his features.

To that, Kiba reacted.

He gathered himself to his feet, a look of focus on his features. Strangely Naruto looked at him, incapable, as Kiba thought, of reading his thoughts; perhaps in the past he'd read Sasuke's with precision, knowing exactly what shenanigans were going through that wretched place of his called mind, yet in this case they were stragglers meeting on uneven grounds, and while the previous random outburst might have stupefied him for a moment – as he was seized with the other's faltering, inquiring gaze, blood hot like iron purged him free of guilt and fright.

_No going back, pal, none at all._

Gruff, Kiba scoffed, rolling the right shoulder back, arm no longer aching, a contented look coming over his features as the shoulder blade popped into the sockets and Naruto winced.

Right.

Showtime.

"So…" he started, taking his precious, precious time.

"So…" repeated Naruto.

"So…" he continued and stared Naruto down. Of course… The blond did not blink one bit, unaffected by that and Kiba blamed Sasuke since he was an easy victim to all, but that didn't stop him. He stepped forward, a frown on his face. "So, Naruto. I came to do something."

"Oh? What's that?"

Somehow, just somehow – Naruto's calm exterior unsettled him – and made the internal battle even worse.

"I don't think you'll approve, heh," he answered, a hint of anger in his voice.

Naruto only blinked. "It's not like the world is riddled with things I've approved of."

Kiba pursed his lips into a thin line.

More than anything else in the world, he was angry at himself; now as he stood there with the wickedly ample opportunity to strike and force this excuse of a man out of his shelf, he could not; the situation in itself wasn't even that remotely startling, rather – it was the composure that he oozed, the features of his so striking that Kiba had not noticed before, and the way he picked his words, worded his sentences. All a trap lulling him back, all a trap making that inert anger subside until a part of Kiba suddenly believed – he'd not come with the intention to strike. And be ferocious. Vicious.

But.

… To be soothed, to be calmed; petted, stroked on hair, treated a child and told everything was going to be fine, because no matter what great a hero, the need for a mother's touch never died. It was a transcendental feature carried from generation to generation through bitterness and love, and it was the exact feeling that Kiba felt invade his mind, for the longer he stayed in Naruto's presence, the more inclined he was to just – look down at his shoes, shuffle around, be a nervous, maybe love-struck child, be an abomination… All wrath lost.

_Che… Naruto, what a strange man you are… I wouldn't have thought you'd have this effect on me… Wouldn't have believed it until now._

He balled his hands into fists. Over the knuckles, the skin turned pearly white, maybe suggesting there was no flesh at all, just the bones and skin covered the body of a wandering soul, of someone-

_Enough._

He snapped.

"Yeah, whatever. I'm not here to humor your self-pity, Naruto, I'm here to pry your stupid eyes open."

Naruto frowned. "…What?"

Kiba grimaced and stepped forward. "Naruto, I'll give you one simple question."

"Okay…"

"Tell me, Naruto. How is Hinata doing?"

Naruto shot him a bewildered look-and had no time to reply.

Kiba sneered. "Or Ino? Eh? Ino? Know her? Blond hair, kind of hip, always liked to make herself pretty. She's pregnant, know that? And baby daddy is who knows where. Kinda tough, eh?"

Naruto might have tried to say something, lips parting, but as Kiba still recognized the confusion in his eyes, he didn't stop. Could NOT stop, not until he saw that wretched egg gone.

"Yeah, her. Know her? D'you know how Chouji's doing? His wife's due… Er. Some time? Did you know? Hell, you didn't. I remember Chouji telling us he'd told you. Betcha, though, that you remember jack shit."

A wince. Naruto made a face. "That's ridiculous, I know all these things."

"No, Naruto." Kiba made a step back. Why? Simple. He could not look at him. Look at him and see this man really had not noticed, had not seen a thing.

Over his shoulder, he noticed the window. Closed. Shut off. He snarled.

Wordlessly, he pushed past Naruto, yanked the curtains apart and opened the window wide. Fresh, late afternoon air breezed inside, ruffling the hair cut short on his head, and he looked over his shoulder at the ever-so-confused Naruto-

-ha.

_I feel… Pity for you, fool. Nothing but pity._

"It's no wonder, Naruto, that you don't understand anything. How can you when you don't even look?"

Right, where was he a hypocrite in that sentence? Duly noted. But ignored. He leaned against the windowpane, thrust his chin up and decided to no longer waste a moment.

"Ino, you know, and Hinata and then Chouji, right, are just the few examples I tell you about. There are others, yeah, so many people in Konoha suffering along with you, suffering at your hand, Naruto, because as you flounder about, agonized, you don't even look at who you've hit. _It pisses me off._ I've spent too many years watching my comrades die to let another life go to waste because of an insufferable mistake. I don't get it and I'm not gonna lie." He tsk-ed. He wasn't Shikamaru, had never been Shikamaru; he did not have the heart burning of loyalty to fall down on his knees to cry; he had not Sakura's fervent compassion to sympathize – not Hinata's pure heart to understand. Not Gaara's mind to share. Not anyone's involvement… to care. But he was himself. No matter what it made him, what it made him not, or what it had him, by default, identified as. Kiba was Kiba. Kiba had always been – always would be Kiba; that jackass without act and the subtlety of a large animal in a china room, but more than ever before he believed in that honest quality, in the golden heart worn on his sleeves and the subtle changes he sensed so very well.

He believed in himself.

"What you and Sasuke did-"-pushed himself off the window, moved forward to stop a short distance of one foot from Naruto-"-I don't care about. You are my friend. You always were. We didn't fail as friends. _You_ did, Naruto. What we didn't see was what you didn't let us see. Despite having us by your side the whole time, you ignored us. The fact you had friends was wasted on you. I'm not going to delude myself into believing it was my fault, anyone's fault. It's just a bitter reality, bro, that you had friends… _But you ditched them because you didn't want to see their helping hand. You idiot._" Like before his hand curled around Naruto's robes and yanked him close, but this time the unadulterated shock in Naruto's eyes – prevented him from making a move; something so tangible in them even Kiba felt it, and he wanted to _gouge out_ his friend's eyes. "YOU ditched us, Naruto, on far too many occasions. And now you have these people crying to be noticed because we're all pathetically inclined to believe we'd hurt, when in fact it's just a whole range of hurt and a never-ending circle of pain that no-one's doing a damn fucking thing about. IDIOT."

HA. Goddamn you-

-he shuddered, shuddered to think about the thoughts cursing through his mind – TO HELL WITH LOGIC.

And he pushed Naruto off, watching with sick satisfaction as the man's legs hit the nearby couch, as he staggered back, momentarily lost balance and looked up with those pretty blue eyes as wide as saucers. And all for Kiba for the taking.

Bitter, despaired, Kiba covered his face and laughed. "You are not inconsolable. You're just that glorified sack of shit occupying everyone's mind. Beats me why." He laughed on. Hilarious, hilarious! … How he was close to pulling a Shikamaru now. Or to being a Hinata. Or Sakura! Or… Anyone else but himself, anyone but that foul creature to have said things this cruel and spiteful, because he didn't recognize himself and the bitterness he reeked off like a creature of the sewers, like someone-

-someone.

Someone so…

So.

_Despicable._

Gritted his teeth-

_Goddamn it, why do I feel guilt?_

_Why do I just-_

_-want to apologize? I had the right, the right, the stupid right and privilege, my actions and words were justified. I had not wronged him, not accused him unjustly, not abused that illegitimate idea of passing judgment… _

_I HAVE the right, the stupid right to speak up my mind-!_

"Yeah, you are right."

"DUH I AM, DUH I AM."

DUH.

… D…uh? Shell-shocked, Kiba's hands fell back, line of sight no longer obscured, and-was met with Naruto's clear eyes.

They were clear. Crystal clear. Clearer than he'd ever remembered them; even in the teenage days he'd made them murky, the courtesy of the many thoughts overshadowing his best judgment and mind, the courtesy of Sasuke's absence plaguing his mind; even then Naruto had looked haunted.

Now he looked like someone you didn't want to cross and Kiba had just… unwittingly done that?

Naruto, briefly, averted his eyes, expression a void sucking in all life around. As the surrounding features darkened, dimmed, turning grayscale, the man standing in the epicenter grew and flourished, eyes thriving and searching.

"You_… are_ right, Kiba." A small frown creased Naruto's features and he lifted a hand, turning it palm up, then palm down, surveying it with a morbid fascination Kiba couldn't place. "I did… do it out of my own accord. I did push you all away. Because…" Ah, did he see a bulging vein, a peculiar feature to ensnare his attention so? The brows rose and Naruto allowed the hand to fall back, before _gifting_ Kiba with yet another look he couldn't place.

Yet before Kiba's mind could indulge him in the many stories why he should not ask, should not know and why ignorance truly was a bliss, Naruto's eyes softened, the ever-familiar remorse in them instead.

"I only wanted Sasuke. By my side. And no-one… No-one else."

Hah… Kiba's whole body, for reasons odd, relaxed; that simple sentence felt like the admission of truth they'd only been waiting for since the beginning. No matter how sad it was.

Naruto closed his eyes. "Huh, how many days have passed since his disappearing? How many days have I wasted wallowing in self-pity, being a selfish, obstinate child? How many days have I remained ignorant to my people? They did not choose me to become their ultimate demise. _They chose me because they'd acknowledged me._ I took that trust and chewed it out." His grimace furthered, deep creases around his eyes and lips, until Kiba successfully identified that emotion as that overpowering, all encompassing and crippling… Anger.

Anger. And wrath. And hate. At himself.

Their Kage shook. "I am_… Such an idiot."_

It was the simplest and most beautiful, most self-deprecating thing he could have said.

Kiba looked down at the ground and admitted to himself – he felt sad. Sad for their Kage. For this situation. Sad for himself, too, sad for the guilt. Sad for the world. Sad, amazingly enough… for Sasuke.

"I didn't know him well," he began, uncertain. "Granted, no-one really did… He was a strange guy, that Sasuke… I don't know why you'd have picked him, but he made a mistake…" Odd, but it was actually so easy, even if it included the difficult task of breaking an odd number of brick walls first, because they were the barriers meant to stop him from digging too deep and getting too far, because they were, essentially, those things responsible for each thing bottled up. Exhausted, Kiba let the emotions wash over him.

"What mistake?" Naruto asked.

The answer was simple. Kiba shrugged. It was noncommittal, meek. "Because he lost you." He looked up. "I can't imagine a plausible, rational, logical, good fucking reason for that, in all honesty."

Naruto's eyes snapped open. A deer caught in highlights, he stared on, until-

-what was this? Whatever it was, Kiba would begrudgingly call it-

-a warm, darling, sheepish smile. "Yeah," Naruto laughed. "I s'ppose so. But he always was a prissy jerk-face, no matter what."

"Hah… Always doomed to be a jerk. What a damn idiot."

"That's right, just a jerk to the end of his days. Man…" Naruto breathed out a sigh of relief and sat down on the side of the couch, toe-tips ghosting over the ground, the shoulders slumped and body hunched over. Kiba failed to confuse this with anything else, knowing for once that Naruto was an open book.

"Ne, Kiba?"

"Hn?"

"Ino-chan… Is really pregnant."

Kiba blinked. "Uh, yeah."

"Heh, haven't spoken to her since forever… I don't even remember being told she's pregnant. Was I ever told?" Utterly confused, he cradled his heads in his hands and whined. "Aaaah… I just… I can't remember."

"You were ignoring stuff?"

"No." Naruto shook his head. "I just… Like. I honestly don't remember? I barely recall what I've been doing in the past few days. I know maybe a week has passed? It feels like an hour…"

"Look, man-"

"No." Naruto jumped to his feet, dismissing Kiba's sentence with a shake of his hand and Kiba was tempted to spit out a sarcastic reply, commenting on how it wasn't exactly polite to cut people off mid-sentence, but Naruto actually cut him off mid-thought and that was too much. "Don't give me this crap how it's understandable because I was out of it and so on. No, _I mean it_; I'd wake up at odd hours and not remember what I've been doing, then look outside the window, for example, and suddenly the sun's out and a day has passed and I've not apparently moved from the spot. It's just… Ugh."

A strange sinking feeling invaded Kiba's stomach. Unnerved, he cleared out his throat. "Yeah, um… That sounds creepy, man, and weird. Are you sure…?"

"Nah…"

Uncomfortable, Kiba looked everywhere but at Naruto; when he offered sympathy, he got shot down, when an explanation – then some eerie reasoning that left him feeling restless and dejected, prompting an undesirable reaction of the cheeks turning white as a result of that, until, suddenly, he was startled out his reverie by a huffing sound coming from behind him-

"Oi… OI NARUTO!"

_Fool, I turn away for a few seconds and you try to jump out the window? THAT'S NOT AN ANSWER DAMN IT-I killed the Hokage. _

Naruto was propped up on the windowsill, arms dangling loosely outside and a cutely confused expression on his face as he looked at Kiba. "Whaaat…"

"Naruto, you can't just leave-"

"I have a noble reason, Kiba, and a damn good reason. I'm going to see Hinata-chan."

Kiba's heart missed a beat._ No suicide. Thank god._ "Okay, sure, but could we use the door?"

Naruto looked over his shoulder at the door staring longingly in their direction, before-beaming at Kiba instead. Kiba didn't even need to know the answer; he already knew the prankster had been lurking inside the whole time and barely the thought had finished before Naruto's body toppled forward, becoming a blur lost in the darkness with Kiba, cursing, muttering angrily to himself about unpredictable fools and their fickle minds to himself, yet sporting an unbidden, hearty smile on his face – trailing right behind.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Hinata did not look like death had warmed over; she was pink-faced, in fact, healthy-looking and quite the charmer if you ignored the death bed she'd made her temporary residence in and from which she overlooked the mystifying happenings from the world; no, she was not a child sickly and dying, but Hinata was, despite that, a terrible sight for the sore eyes. She'd recovered well, a person of admirable mental strength, but despite that her heart never-endingly ached, a dull throbbing sensation in her veins making the soulful eyes look all around.

And see nothing.

_I am… No-one._

Ashamed, she pulled the covers over her face.

It was late, late again and another late when she'd go to bed and wake up the following morning feeling the emptiness grown ten or one-hundred fold, for each sunshine was as painfully bright as the previous one, each reminding her of own failure and broken heart…

Each reminding her of the fact she'd not moved an inch.

_Am I really a shinobi? Something like this… In a battle, I'd be liability. _

A small blush crept into her features; cold, she shivered and curled into a ball, lying on her side and looking outside; the tatami door was slid open, the contrasting light and darkness streaming inside invoking grappling feelings in the pit of her stomach.

_I've not grown one bit, Naruto-kun…_

Naruto's shadow lingered outside, no more than eight years of age, face unmarred by the happenings of what the future would bring and his ever-present cheerful disposition making her breath warm and eyes wide.

No, it was not ever-present and it had seen too much. Now, many years older, Hinata understood the shadow that had lurked in his footsteps back then, understood that her Naruto-kun had never exactly existed; she had… merely… simply… fabricated a love story that knew none other, created the lover that never existed.

Never. Existed.

She shuddered, closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry… Naruto-kun… I'm still such a child. In comparison to you, I've not grown one bit…"

Soft sounds were heard.

They were like one heart, tapping against the floor in turns and along with her heartbeat, lulling and deceptive because she'd conjured up yet another lie to save her precious mind from dominion of reality, but it was a plentiful dream and one of a kind, making a cherished smile blossom on her features; after all, this way she could picture that her Naruto-kun had beaten the impossible and come to this world; now, he'd guard over her, a wistful smile on his features, the silent night and day watch that never left her side, the constant reminder of some inner beauty she'd have easily dismissed. It was splendorous idea, a magical thought, a pathetic concept of loneliness she embraced, and it was, in that sense, perfect for her.

Content for a while, she sighed into her pillow, a happy noise escaping her lips.

Until gentle fingers ghosted over her skin and tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear, reminding her of games she'd played as a child on her own, when only her own imagination had kept her company; she'd had two hands turn into best friends, the middle and ring finger legs, pinky and pointy the arms and the thumb that awkward friend that served only little purpose but was still welcome.

And like that, sending warm jolts up and down her spine, fingers seemed to walk over her cheek, the ghostly touch the injection of light into her bloodstream that made the eyes open and the- the cheeks become a murky shade of red.

And she gazed into a pair of blue eyes smiling sadly down at her now, then she saw a tanned hand leave her face, saw it fall onto his lap, saw the man shuffle, saw him shoot her that pain and regret etched in his features.

Her heart skipped a beat.

_Naruto._

Horrified, she sat up, head spinning wildly for a moment, acknowledging the fact it'd been reality all along and she'd not pictured a thing-which meant he'd seen the smile and felt her comfort and-

"Na… Naruto-kun, I'm so-sor… I…"

He did not say a thing, acknowledging, apparently, her confused jumble of words, and from the corner of her eyes Hinata noticed movement; Kiba shuffled inside her room a moment later, helpless, hopeless, but oddly pleased about something, flushed a bewildered shade of red like he'd walked on in a private scene.

She scooted away, embarrassed beyond measure.

Naruto's face wrinkled a smile. "Hey, Hinata-chan."

_Ch-chan… He said chan._

She gulped. "Ah, ah, um-Na-Kib-Ho-wha-I-**um.**"

A tremble. And she wanted to cry.

Naruto gave her a goofy smile.

Kiba sat down right next to him, waving her an awkward but confident hello that prompted an immediate nod of her head in turn.

"How's it goin', Hinata?" asked Kiba.

She blinked. "Um…G-"

Kiba didn't let her finish. "So I brought Naruto. I hope you're not mad?" He clasped his hands together as if in a prayer and winked at her, grinning broadly, something akin to a sad puppy eye look momentarily grazing his features; behind him, Akamaru appeared in the door, propping itself up on its front legs, its fur glistening like a silver shawl in the incoming moon-light.

Completely stunned and at a loss of words, Hinata could only shake her head meekly.

Naruto smirked. "Heh, expected something like that… How you feeling? Good? Kiba here tells me you've locked yourself up here and refuse to come out. Something about me popping out the corner and hurting you. Is it true?"

"N-no! Oh, no. Naruto-kun-I wouldn't dare think such a thing, I…" she trailed off, shooting Kiba a panicky, pleading look, but he was feigning convenient ignorance and looking elsewhere and Naruto's eyes, on the other hand, wouldn't leave her face.

"It's okay, Hinata… You have all the right in the world to hate me now," he said, voice solemn.

She protested and protested, echoing her weak moans of dejection silently in her head, but no word left her lips.

Naruto, perhaps, interpreted it as a sign she did not quite understand at that moment, and she was actually surprised she'd not launched into a tirade of madness and apologies for such absurd assumptions, for he was no atrocity and deserved better. But then, she thought, a part of her… seemed to want it. That guilt of his. Like the most delicious meal served on a silver plate.

"It's okay," he muttered, shifting and folding his hands on his lap. Eyes directed at the long digits, he didn't speak for an unpleasantly long while, leaving Hinata to eat on her own conscience and nibble at the thoughts that would have had him burned at stake.

But then-

"You have the right and I have none. Despite that, here as I am, I beg of you-forgive me."

It was polite, courteous. But each word was drenched so thickly in a syrup of regret she felt the residual bits that couldn't fit drip down.

And she looked up.

_He_ was drenched in it. A figure of pity and regret deep and intrinsic. Looking like the devil may care actually cared.

Her heart, once more, skipped a beat and then sang a sad, low song.

"What I did… I kept breaching the boundaries, going too far. Yeah, yeah, you didn't understand… I could have made you, could have aided you… After all, you offered a helping hand, you offered to understand, and I shot you down like you didn't matter. I could say I think you deserve more, yet as true as that'd be, it's also something I have no right to claim. Maybe I am asking you for forgiveness, yet at the same time…" He frowned, the smile turned upside-down. "I keep hoping you don't."

Hinata leaned forward, fingers curling around the hem of her blanket.

Naruto looked up. "I hope you don't."

She stared. "W… why?" she breathed.

Naruto was a scrooge, waiting with the answer, but offering freely the many seconds to tick by and haunt her mind. And then he looked like a simpleton again, and she knew she'd insulted him in a sense, a part of her taking relish in seeing the genuine pain in his features and pondering if it made her cruel.

"Because forgiveness, like respect, like love and hate, like any other emotion in the world, is earned, not given." For a moment, Naruto's face darkened. "That I taught Sasuke without intending to."

Something danced over her face, and over his as well; it was disgust, revulsion, it was something worse and darker than that – it was disappointment; that he'd still speak of the man, he'd still dwell hard, and he'd still acknowledge that one presence to have influenced him so much.

Hinata, despite her gentle disposition and tender, caring nature, felt a jolt of resentment.

With eyes filled with confusion, she looked at her blunt fingers and clipped fingernails.

"That is true… I am a fool, Naruto-kun."

… _No._

She swallowed.

Suddenly, everything was gone. And everything made sense.

"We are all fools, Hokage-sama."

He didn't reply.

And she'd speak to her heart's content, quivering, her heart throbbing, eyes watering and cheeks flushing, but resolve – unwavering. "I… can see it now. You're here as I'd hoped, and you came as I'd wished. I realize now this I'd been hoping for. To see you come for me, to me, yet you arrive and I am a mess, a wreck and undeserving, and I realize I don't want you here. I don't want you here for me like this, not arrive in glory and with nonchalant yet pitying grace for someone so easily swallowed up by own woes. I'd… always… hoped you'd come. I'd never run, never looked… For this. I am no-one."

Kiba moved to say a terrible no-Naruto put a hand on his shoulder to shove him back into his place and silence him.

Somehow, the gesture of understanding that filled Hinata with hope.

"I don't want you here, Naruto-kun… I. Love you. I am… In love. With you. But I see now I'd been wrong to call this love. Gentle, caring and dear you'd been to me always, yet one moment of an honest no and I crumble. Now it makes me reflect, I-I suppose… And realize that the love… that… everything…"

A hand reached out, warm, and held hers. Hinata smiled in the only way she could at the given moment and a trickle of one single tear to land on that darker skin smiled lovingly back.

He did her a favor and finished the thought for her-"It's not deserved."

Hinata hiccoughed. "Ye-… Mhm. _Aa._"

A moment later, the hand disappeared and Hinata knew what to do.

She rose to her feet.

And looked down at her beloved.

And she felt herself fall in love all over again – with the pride in his eyes for she knew it was meant only for her, with the admiration meant for her as well, with the equal measure of love he'd weighed and dedicated to her, with everything in them that spoke he wanted to deserve it.

Then he stood up as well, a grin sorry but honest on his face.

And they hugged.

Nearby, Kiba sat, blushing and nervous, scratching the back of his neck and looking equally embarrassed.

Hinata buried her face into the crook of Naruto's shoulder-

_Naruto-kun… Has your back gotten thinner?_

-and embraced him even stronger.

A few sweet seconds later they pulled away; Hinata could imagine them making love and being forever together, but it was a fickle and insignificant thought she no longer needed for survival, and – thus, it was dismissed with as fickle a movement of her hand, and she looked him in the eye.

Maybe that was the first time in her life he'd smiled for her, the first time she had made him happy.

"You really are something, Hinata," he laughed, dimples in his cheeks, a finger tracing her cheek and wiping any more tears away.

At the most appropriate of moments, Kiba's voice meekly disturbed their moment. "… Okay. I'm glad you guys, uh… I actually don't know what you just did? Looks to me, though, that you told each other off before agreeing it's made you closer again and that ain't normal, but you know what?" He gave a large, melodramatic shrug, beaming. "I don't give a damn!"

Hinata felt like laughing a bit, realizing how strange this scene must have looked, and she sat down on her makeshift bed, the legs that had not been properly used for days aching dully and warning her of a fall in the event of exerting herself. Expecting a similar thing – unless, of course, he was considering leaving – she looked at Naruto, to see him sit down-

-sit down too heavily, too hard, too-pale.

A heavy rock met the bottom of her stomach. "Naruto-kun?"

He shook his head.

Akamaru whined, waddling closer and, alerted, Kiba frowned. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Nar-"

"I want to tell you more," he interrupted, resolved. Kiba and Hinata stared. "Another story," he added.

"Eh… Shikamaru's not here and my memory isn't that good, Naruto…"

"Mine is."

Kiba winced. Hinata thought he'd hoped to avoid this, but refused to back down; determined, she casted a sage look in Naruto's direction, ignoring for the sake of the situation – at least for a while, just a short while – that discomfort that seemed to eat away at his features.

He stared at her back and they shared a long, hard look when he seemed to question her, perhaps, and the validity of her statement, before blinking it away, giving up and settling back.

She ignored, just as well, the way his hands balled and teeth clenched.

There was a story to tell, and as long as they didn't know it whole, the reason for his current state of body and mind – and the back which she'd noticed had shrunk – would elude them completely; she understood finally, that ignorance as well was a gift earned.

"Okay," he said through clenched teeth, blue eyes heavy. "It's… It's um-remember when your sister was getting married, Kiba?"

"Uh, yeah. We had a party. _You_ didn't attend it. Even though you'd been invited."

Naruto snickered. "Yeah. Want to know why I didn't come? 'Cause, you know… Thing is, I actually almost did."

Kiba quirked one brow at him. "Oh? Well, go on then, I suppose there is a good reason behind it. I mean, it's coming a few years late, but go on… I say if it's a part of the bigger picture, I'm listening."

Hinata readied her mind.

He started speaking slowly and carefully, and towards the end of it his voice would go hoarse and memories coarse from abuse, she knew, and towards the end of it, she knew as well, they'd be one step closer to figuring out the truth.

One step closer – she realized, the Byakugan activated for a minuscule and inconsiderable moment – to knowing why, as Naruto spoke, the chakra flow of his body surged to the heart and stalled, and why, she knew, he omitted the glow…

Of decay.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Less time to think, less time to act; Sasuke was as quick on his feet as he was with his words.

But Naruto was quicker.

He launched just one kunai at him the speed and strength of many and the man's body became a blur against the grass as he dodged first to left and then right, Naruto's eyes following the movement only absently. Perspiration gathered on his forehead, chest clenched tight and legs wide apart.

_I know this trick, you asshole. You're going to appear-_

He _dodged._

Just as the heel of Sasuke's foot lodged itself in the spot where Naruto had stood a second ago, and he lurched himself forwards, another kunai sliding down to his palm from the sleeve, and the handle grasped firmly in his fingers, he slashed at Sasuke, making a beautiful cut through the clothing.

Yet Sasuke smirked.

Naruto's eyes widened.

The clone poofed at the moment as the kunai inched further away from it, and behind him the real one appeared. Naruto felt a kunai tip against his lower back, felt it trail up along the spine and end at the neck; how tender the touch of that lethal object. Sasuke made everything about power and control and Naruto, under his breath, smiled. And how predictable of him to revel in knowing he'd almost won.

Almost, indeed, because Naruto, for once, did not care about maiming. _His_ scars would heal.

He thrust his body back, the kunai penetrating the skin on his neck-coming far too close to severing an important artery-and Sasuke's hold on it lessened, shock, probably, ensuring he'd not win this time. Naruto jumped above and behind Sasuke just as the man dropped the kunai and whipped around-

-their bodies, hands and feet clashed in a hand-to-hand, short but swift combat. And they danced.

Across the grassy field. The training grounds. Across the skies. Like two sparrows. And a nightingale they became, too quick for the human eye, blurring together in power. From their bodies chakra of mismatching colors surged, laying waste to the greenery they grazed, and Naruto landed on the ground, the ground giving away and buckling underneath – a crater.

Pupils turned to slits followed each movement and Sasuke's feet like feather touched the ground just opposite of him, yet he was not fooled; soon the man was turning around, his eyes melted with blood and blazing red-

-Chidori crackled to life. Light enveloped the surrounding forest.

Naruto leaned back-winced; a long gash on his thigh prevented further movement and he scoffed; it was just a moment, the exact moment that took Sasuke to form a bull-body Chidori, and Naruto sent chakra to the wound, watching it seal itself as his hands formed the familiar spinning ball of chakra.

He didn't even know when the dread came, only that a split second later they'd still not moved, rooted to the same spot and watching each other, as if waiting, waiting for something very specific to happen, _to stop them_-

"Naruto, oi, Naru-oi… OI YOU GITS!" Kiba skidded to a halt, horror-stuck. Next to him, Shino edged away, caution in his step. "What ARE you two doing again? Tsunade-sama's told you MANY times now not to use your two signature moves. Are you trying to wipe us out? Oh, goddamn it," he cursed and cradled his face and both hands.

Naruto glowered at him, leaning back and assuming a relaxed posture, fingers lazily snapping to allow the Rasengan to whizz to nothingness; from the corner of his eyes, he noticed Sasuke doing the same, hesitation and unwillingness following the decline of his Chidori. Around them, things surged to life, regaining their courage and buzzing tentatively with joy, bugs finally filtering the hot summer day and leaves rustling, as if even the wind had left them in fright.

Kiba hissed, enraged, and skidded down the slope to march over to them, Shino following behind only as the bodyguard and giving Naruto one short, brief nod.

"Jeez, Kiba, calm your pants," muttered Naruto under his breath, watching with sick amusement as Kiba's face turned various shades of red, a large vein pulsating on the forehead.

"Calm… your pants, you say. _Of course. _Ugh. Naruto, you're bleeding."

Naruto stuck out his tongue at him, hands crossed over his chest. "I'm a bleeding idiot for sparring? Well, nice."

Kiba stared. "… No. You're bleeding. There." He pointed a finger. "From your neck."

Actually surprised, Naruto lifted a hand and curiously poked the spot Kiba was pointing at-

-and ended up burying the finger in the open wound, muscle and skin forcibly pushed aside and tissue torn open even further with a sickening sound-

_Ouch._

Kiba and Shino winced.

Sheepish, Naruto laughed, wiping the bloodied finger against his pants and trying to send some chakra to the spot he'd honestly omitted on accident. "Eeeh, forgot about that. Heat of the battle and all that."

"Right," muttered Kiba, expression deadpan, before it took on an expression of rage and he looked at Sasuke. "Could you _not _try to slit his throat next time like a pig's? You know." Dangerously, his eyes narrowed; Naruto was surprised to recognize something akin to worry in them. "Refrain from killing him in cold blood and all that?"

Sasuke didn't answer. Did not, in fact, even move, even near them.

Naruto pursed his lips into a thin line, looking at the man's stoic and motionless figure with disdain and growing anger, yet he knew it was not directed at the one to have inflicted the injury, rather-

"_Cut it out_, Kiba, it was _my_ mistake."

Kiba's frown deepened and with disbelief he turned back to Naruto.

Naruto didn't care to guess what his own expression looked like, but he was experiencing a strange mixture of wrath and a desire to protect; after all, Kiba had no right to blame Sasuke for acting an opponent during battle, not one right to go around, accusing him of being a murderer.

_Not after all this time._

His features hardened, a terrifying look coming over this – and this he was aware of perfectly, just as he was of Kiba's growing discomfort and confusion; baffled he was for sure, and maybe so was Naruto, lacking knowledge for this surge of protection, but-

"Fine. Whatever, man," growled Kiba, the words a rushed apology lacking honesty. "I didn't come here to argue anyway. I came here to ask you if you're coming."

Somewhat, Naruto relaxed and shrugged. "The party, yeah? Your sister's getting married in a week."

"Yeah," nodded Kiba. "You said you were coming. Didn't help one bit with preparations, however."

"Eh, was busy."

"With?"

Naruto's brows furrowed.

Kiba understood and smirked like a bitter and fussy old hen. "_Right_. Well, it's in an hour, just so you know. And I don't want you showing in those clothes, by the way; my sister's overbearing and nervous enough, she doesn't need anyone adding fuel to her fire right now."

"Right."

"Fine. What about Miss Cupcake over there?"

Naruto's brows wrinkled with unbidden amusement; Sasuke being Miss Cupcake was a new one, for sure, and he snickered, the terseness leaving his muscles. "Meh, he'll be fine. We'll go… Home. He can stay alone for some time, just as long as I know where he is and vice versa."

"No problem then?"

"Nupe."

"Fine," said Kiba, slowly shuffling away, avoiding looking at Sasuke. "Just don't be late like the last time, okay? I mean, I won't care? Sis's gonna take your head off, though, so don't give her the reason."

"Sure, sure," waved him off Naruto, scuttling away as Kiba and Shino disappeared from sight.

The dull ache in his neck had gone, indicating the wound had healed alright, and Naruto stared at his finger, suddenly feeling squeamish.

_Can't believe I actually-ugh. _

So enraptured in own thoughts he was that he didn't even notice where he'd stopped, for the exact whereabouts mattered more with every passing second, and as Naruto looked up, he found himself staring at the back of Sasuke's head.

And the bastard was stood no more than two feet away from him.

And the bastard turned to look at him, face dirtied but still appearing pristine clean, only a trickle of blood released from the corner of his lips and the iciness in his gaze.

Naruto froze.

Shock.

And then-

-he stepped away-

-and Sasuke stepped forward.

They stopped, that short, impeccable distance between them riddled with invisible weights, hanging between them like curtains parted open, halved and beckoning, now floating in the wind.

And Sasuke's eyes rested on-his neck, that neck and that sealed and knitted wound, on the line soft remaining behind and something as if evaporating from it, the chakra used and forever gone-then the eyes narrowed and Naruto saw darkness enter them.

"You're an idiot, Naruto."

And that was it. An idiot.

Naruto grimaced, a conscious gesture of covering the wound prickling his mind.

He ignored it, just as he ignored something else. "We're going."

"I'm staying."

"Sasuke, I have to go."

Sasuke started to walk away. "Then go, Naruto, I am not holding your hand."

Naruto glared at the figure of spite and power, yet-he somehow noted the wobbly quality in the other's legs, and the sweat that had made the clothing cling onto his body like a desperate lover; hours of fighting had tired him out, exhaustion in unfathomable ways and unfathomable qualities invading his senses, the mind of his in betrayal soaking it in like a sponge, until he felt intoxicated.

But he didn't-was that victory he felt? Naruto looked at own shaky-shaky, they were shaky the hands and he'd not known and they may have trembled the whole duration of the conversation, may have been the token of affection Kiba and Shino had glared at, but, most importantly, the sign he'd not seen.

Out of the blue, Naruto felt unsure.

"Sasuke…"

"What is?"

He shuffled. "You can come, too?"

Sasuke halted. "Come…" he echoed, the lone word ridiculing the suggestion.

Naruto refused to bristle. "Yeah, come. Why don't you? It's been months, after all, half a year, basically. I mean, since your release."

"I know very well what you meant, fool," replied the man slowly as he turned to face Naruto again; with ease disapproval and distaste danced on his face, all of which Naruto was far too familiar with.

"Yeah. Fine. Then come? Why don't you?"

"Why would I." No indication, no intonation change… He was abusing the questions to form a coherent and stabbing retort of "no".

Naruto wanted to slap him. Frustrated, he snapped. "What, what, what? Miss Cupcake can't? Miss Cupcake's got nothing else to do. _I_ would know of that, miss. Don't worry, Sasuke-chan, don't worry, your fanclub is still all lovey-dovey and would like some of that ass or whatever." Mocking, he struck a pose of what he assumed a fangirl would, fawning, floundering about with lips comically wide and eyelashes fluttering as if having a seizure. "Oh, Sasu-chan~, come here, come here~! We luuuurve you, Sasu-chan, Sasuke-ku~n, kyah!"

Sasuke's entire body like struck with lighting tensed. Naruto didn't exactly get why, but his heart tensed with frivolous like. Somehow, anyhow… He knew what was going to be come next… And.

He didn't fight it.

Sasuke like an arrow shot towards him, tackling him to the ground and landing on top, sitting on him with one hand curled around Naruto's clothing, their faces drawn so close and the heat of their bodies mangled and sullied, far too worn out to argue with each other or express the desire for dominion over the situation.

Darkly amused, Naruto gave Sasuke a wry, wan smile. "What, Sasuke, still not too fond of your fanclub? Was I too close? Or… Did you like it?"

His response was silence deafening, the sort for which he'd acquired love over time; after all, so many months around this prudish façade and he'd learned to read him inside out, each succinct reaction actually juicy and succulent like that hand pinning him down and the body on top of his.

Sasuke, whether he liked it or not, had become the bedtime story for Naruto to indulge in and favor above all, and right now Naruto was damn sure-that Sasuke, what he felt was-

_Can't be-_

His eyes widened into the size of s-

-the sun.

"_Stop it."_

Agony.

_But. Why? _

Bewilderment. Naruto was-bewildered-Sasuke was gripped by agony? By why-

Slowly Sasuke moved off and before he knew what he was doing, Naruto was stopping him, hands shooting out to yank the man down again until they were embraced like lovers, their position of intimacy shunning away all beseeching eyes, and gingerly Naruto's fingers slid off Sasuke, the memory of the velvet rough skin engraved into his mind.

"I'll stay here," said Sasuke eventually, voice in vain devoid of emotion.

"Here," echoed Naruto. "You're going to stay here to train."

That was a yes without a need to say it. Sasuke slipped off, sitting on the ground next to him in a way as vulnerable as the state he was in, as the state the situation was leaving Naruto's mind in.

"Eh…" That… was not to his liking. "… Whatever. Fine, stay here. No-one's going to care, anyway."

Sasuke did not move.

Yet Naruto's body did; it was an inward lurch forward that had him lose his balance in real life, for he stood up with the grace of a toddler learning to walk for the first time in life, and balance left him for real on his own, toppling sidewards and backwards until he realized-

Sasuke's back looked so alone and so small.

Naruto stood up, looked at the ground. "I'm sorry. Didn't mean to."

"Naruto, your apologies and guilty conscience are in no way related to me. You may commence with leaving even now, I can handle being on my own. Your absence will be of no consequence to me, so leave."

The hit of those words was non-existent.

Still, Naruto turned around, begrudgingly walking away. Sasuke was impossible. Sasuke had always been impossible and this was no news. And so screw him if he so wished, he had friends to go to and no prissy jerk to attend to around; without that asshole, no-one would bother with burdening him down and keeping his mood sour, no-one.

_Bastard, just choke on it._

Sour, Naruto stuck his hands in his pockets and walked on. He needed to shower and quickly dress well for this occasion, needed to clean up as showing up all dirtied and covered in blood wasn't going to make anyone's incessant worry that Sasuke was massacring him all over again mellowed. What else-also, grab the present he'd brought-wait. Didn't get her any present.

… Okay, will manage without it.

Once at the highest point of the slope, seeing only the village plain and simple looming before him, Naruto stopped in his tracks.

His heart, even against his wishes, remained fervent.

Unwilling and stubborn, a grimace of annoyance on his face, he turned around.

What he'd expected to see was easy, what he did get to see was not, even if, in reality, it needed no cipher; Sasuke was still standing there, checking himself for injuries, a barely moving figure of nothing but loneliness in all its despicable and horrific truth.

Naruto… Felt a pang of guilt.

He watched the man, the wind that avoided him, that grass that fell meekly under his touch, succumbing to the feet that hovered above it before he even neared it – and the life that avoided him from afar.

Even when surrounded by so much life, this man and a pitiful creature in disguise was still but an animated corpse with strings attached, growing to the skies, then turning around the corner to make the hasty beeline for a few folks in the Hokage office; Tsunade, he suspected, unwillingly held onto one string, whereas the others were evenly redistributed over the whole of Konoha, into their bony and unsuspecting hands; they didn't even know how much power they held over him, how much of his future they decided and what share they'd had in his misfortune. Didn't know that to this moment the eye of a beholder was them and them only; they represented the legion and their presence too strong kept everything away.

He had no choice but to accept it. No choice but to prepare for a battle alone, to gather all their kunai and shuriken, to pocket them once more, envision a non-existent target and stab it repeatedly with suppressed hatred.

Because he had only and only that… In this whole universe.

Naruto stared.

Stared.

Stared.

Stared.

Sasuke – feeling it? – turned around.

He was reminded of that moment ages ago, when at the tender age of eight they'd met… He'd have thought their roles would have reversed, but he couldn't have been more wrong; in the decade, nothing… nothing… NOTHING… not even a thing… had changed.

_We're still the abominations of their nightmares, Sasuke…_

He didn't know and wouldn't know.

Only, he understood… That he was running, running back feet carrying him there and body losing ground under it as he jumped in the air gracefully and like a cat famished and starving but also starved for affection-

-and the other reacted on instinct and not knowing a thing as well, whipping around and lifting a hand to deflect the incoming attack, to throw him off and have Naruto land a few feet away.

Then stunned silence arrived and both may have been appalled.

Sasuke dropped the posture of defense, anger in his face.

Naruto. Just did not care. He bent down, quickly snatched a kunai lodged in the ground he glanced nearby, twirling it in his fingers and flexing his neck side to side, stalking towards the dark-haired, certainly flabbergasted in a repressed and detached sense – male.

One cheeky foot away from him, he stopped, a filthy rueful grin on his face. "So, I guess aerial attacks won't work either, eh?"

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Sparring?" The grin widened.

Sasuke would have none of that. "You're an idiot if you believe I require your presence. It will ease me to be rid of you."

"Sasuke, Sasuke. Tsk, tsk, tsk." Naruto shook his finger, smile blissful. "You know what you lack? Hatred, my friend."

At once, Sasuke's entire demeanor changed for reasons Naruto didn't understand, yet rather than wait to see it unfold, he lessened on the mocking scrutiny and gave the other a sheepish, grieving smile. "And I like that."

"Like." A hiss incoming-

"Yeah. Like. You're still an ass, but you're a likeable ass."

Sasuke scoffed, a haughty smirk caressing his lips. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I'm staying."

"Your friends need you."

"They need me as much as they need a good kick in the chin. Or! That huge ass of a tree over there rammed up their-"

-thank god for Sasuke not letting him finish. "_Enough._ I told you. I don't need you here, Naruto_. I_ don't need you either, understand."

"Understand and don't care. Gonna spar again, ass, or should I make you even more likeable in my eyes?"

It was a stir. Just a stir in Sasuke's eyes, something… loosening up, yes, the gears slowing down, halting their glorious comebacks, steam evaporating and dissipating into thin air and the expression on Sasuke's face melting away to turn that likeable ass into just likeable.

"They-…" His shoulders tensed and subsequently relaxed, blood surging to all the right places and bringing heat into his face and – smile, because he was smiling; just tenderly curling the lips, coy and peeking over at Naruto with dignity unperturbed and all safely tucked and hidden and all that and much more and some some some other and other and other ands-

-because it was heart-warming. And confusing.

Warmth did, indeed, swell in Naruto's chest.

The kunai Sasuke had had so carelessly in his hands before met the firm touch of his palm and ghosted over the tanned skin on Naruto's neck, sharp blade kissing the sensitive flesh.

"They will, you are aware, assume I'd killed you in your sleep."

Filthy grins thrown all around indeed; Naruto's could only widen. "As if, ass. You could never get me."

"Hmp, there will be a day when you will regret those words, Naruto."

His chest hurt. He wanted to say something-

-Sasuke, in a sense, beat him to it; he felt his eyes rest on the neck that had been wounded not long ago, and the dark orbs glistened.

Into the air, the surprising, smothering amount of regret lingered.

Naruto's eyes softened. "I'm staying here with you."

Sasuke's eyes met his. "Why?"

A challenge. A wrong challenge. Because… Is that right? Friends are not challengers.

"Because-"

_Don't lie to me._

Sasuke seemed to say.

_Don't lie to me. Don't pity me. Don't you dare do that. _

And-

_I'm sorry, Sasuke._

Naruto seemed to say.

_Friends can pull off pity and lies as well as they can understanding and respect._

"I'm not going to leave you here all alone, not when I know I can fix that."

"Being a fixer, Naruto, can only do you bad in the future."

"I've had bad, I've had worse, I've had worst." With ease he mirrored Sasuke, lifting his kunai to the man's neck, like the loving lover's kiss. "I figured, as long it's a bad, worse and worst I've opted for myself, I can be as apt at handling it as I was at making the decision."

"You are still a fool."

"I know."

By the smallest of frictions, Sasuke's eyes widened.

Like a kicked animal, Naruto smiled. _"I know."_

A moment of long, heavy silence… yet the silence turned pleasant and light and then-

"…_Do it."_

Sasuke's tender voice broke the curse of that silence, piercing through…

"_Stay with me, Naruto."_

Naruto's hand dropped the kunai. Sasuke's did, too.

No weapons. No weapons for the first time.

Friends, after all, did not need weapons to fight each other. They knew best how sharp emotions could be, sharper than common sense and all logic.

Sasuke stepped back.

Naruto did, too.

A few more feet that separated them.

Then.

At once.

Secret smiles on their faces, they charged.

Behind their backs, the lazy afternoon sun refused to set down.

_Is it just me, Sasuke, or are you really smiling at me right now?_

_**In darkness, crimson eyes and slit pupils shone.**_

"_**Naruto… You fool… What are you doing… why… Naruto… will you not listen to me… why silence me, you little fool… this thing, I say… what you have just continued, resumed in, that action wretched and cursed, that jaded act of love… what you are doing right now, listen, relying on, hoping for… it is not a thing you wish to happen, not a thing meant to happen in this world… should you keep hoping for it, it will and it will, just as well… Heed my warnings, you fool, and don't turn deaf to my words, don't ignore my warnings, don't be an idiot, don't be a suicidal foreboding wreck."**_

_**Naruto.**_

_**Naruto…**_

"_**Naruto, it will destroy you."**_

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, but the story idea is mine alone.

**A/N:** :| Well. I am late. But! Not given up, obviously. I'll probably update once a month from now on, simply because I've gotten incredibly lazy and have far too many things to cater to. Yet, yet! Not giving up. EVER. I love writing this too much and think of it every day. My Sasuke and Naruto, my rookie nine and this story are all far too precious for me to discard them because of any vice, so Sole is not discontinued, Sole will be continuing. I know, I know, it's tough coming back to a fic you've not seen updated in ages, less alone understanding everything with perfection because of the time that's passed since last update. I get that, but-? Patience, please? Sole has still much to say and we're still many steps away from figuring out what, who and why… But… Soon, the moments I fear the most will come. Thinking about it now leaves a terrible throbbing ache in my chest…

Of course! The reviews. I got them. They were fantastic, haha. I really enjoy reading those no matter what foul a mood I am in so… xD Please, send them? Write, write, wriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiite! Long or short… Well, I tend to nom on long reviews, they are delicious x: But, wait, this is actually me saying- **thank you guys all very much for reading this and reviewing. Thank you**

Now this chapter is, as per usual, ridiculously long. I seriously don't know how I do it; I started writing it, thinking I'd be lucky to hit 10 k, and suddenly almost 19 k x_x Haha, but I had tremendous fun writing each scene, so I'm not complaining. Many things again happened, and someone finally noticed… Hinata, girl, you're awesome. Kiba is brave. Shino, dear lord… I love that guy, yet he gets so little screen time. Shame, shame.

But enough of ranting… I'll just jump onto the next chapter and start writing!

Do you like, do you hate? What do you think? ; )

_In next chapter, Naruto is one fine Hokage, and Sasuke one fine puppeteer and the world a witness to their power; finally, it is revealed what makes them so dangerous and lethal. NUMBERs grow in numbers and while the glorious, long-anticipated return is glorious AND long-anticipated, it is not forever and some things are just meant to leave…_

**Rating:** PG-13 for themes, blood, swearwords, and **sexual undertones.**

_Thanks for reading. Remember to R&R! x)_

_If you have any questions, add them in a review or message me personally :)_


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter_Twelve

_I lose_

Quite the predicament they were all in, standing there in complete and rather awkward silence. Not that he seemed to mind, quite keen the bee on doing his thing and caring not for their demise.

Well.

Kakashi idly scratched his left temple and looked up-

-Naruto decided it was the best of times to appear out of nowhere at that exact moment, scaring the blazing heavens out of him – not that Kakashi would ever admit that, no, but cut him some slack; sending a search party early in the morning and having suddenly the man himself appear from behind, give out orders like he used to and march on like there was no tomorrow was the shocking discovery he'd not had enough time to process.

The very fact Naruto had come – and something in the previous night had knocked enough sense into him to ready the perfect Hokage before them once more was rather startling.

Also a dream come true, maybe?

Naruto landed right next to him, a visibly perturbed Yamato trailing behind.

"Naruto?"

He blinked, expression grim and lips threatening to turn upside down. "You were right," he began speaking, everyone around – the little group of twenty jounin – straining to hear every word, judging every tone and the slightest of altercation in his voice. Naruto turned to look at the trees, the feeling of perturbed weighing down on him. "Sasuke turned the whole area around Konoha into a seal."

"Why would he have done that?" asked one of the jounin.

Naruto sighed. "He likes big, what can I say?"

"… Big," repeated the man and even Kakashi looked baffled.

Naruto looked at them in turns, expression wrinkled by worry. "Eh, Sasuke, you see," he started as moved a bit closer, surveying the trees with a tone of disdain. "Is smart. Genius smart, which we all know, and he knows it too, which is the biggest problem. Sasuke likes it, see. He's firmly persuaded of his genius and some… strategic importance to show that off to earn himself the respect he should have by default. He obviously had a lot of time to prepare, so it doesn't surprise me he used it to create something this big. I guess he couldn't have done it any other way." Bitterly, he smiled. "Wouldn't be Sasuke."

Kakashi sighed. "Pride."

"Uchiha pride," corrected him Naruto.

"He still has that?" piped in another Jounin.

Naruto grinned. "That's the only thing he's ever surely had."

"Ah…"

Without a leader, they were surely meant to lapse into silence, but Naruto-

"Fine, form groups of three; the usual combination of medic nin at least in one. Scout the area, report anything suspicious. Don't cut down the trees, but erase the blood marks and beware of enemies or traps; we can't be sure if Sasuke's not left us with another surprise. Make sure to look for additional seals; Sasuke's always been skilled at coming with plan B, C and even D, so look under every rock, at every animal. _Everything._ Nothing must escape your attention. After you're done, you will have acquainted yourselves with this forest better than any animal residing within. Don't, I repeat, make mistakes. We'll meet here once all has been done. Communications okay?"

They all reached to tap the small devices stuck in their ears and as a small disembodied tap seemed to resonate in everyone's head, they nodded, solemn and expressions-_Ha_.

Kakashi almost smiled.

_So eager._

Naruto remained oblivious to the happenings outside his world for now. "Okay. Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-taichou are staying with me here. I want one three-man team dispatched to Konoha with news."

At once, three people stepped out.

Naruto rolled up his sleeves. "Contact baa-chan. Afterwards, you are to remain with her no matter what she says. Keep in touch with the teams, keep everyone updated with news. We'll do the same. And? As impossible as it sounds? Try to get her to stay in Konoha." Sympathy briefly marred his face as the three gave sage, yet fearful nods, and upon his sign blurred away at once, speeding towards Konoha.

Kakashi watched their leader turn to the remaining jounin and clap his hands just once. "Go."

They parted with the physical and descended high above, disappearing eventually in threes in all different directions, and Naruto's Hokage robe succumbed only wanly to the dust they'd left behind.

After a moment they'd completely gone, and in the middle of that small clearing just the leader and his two loyal remained, their lone figures sticking out, actually, like sore thumbs, but for once Kakashi liked this kind of wrong, and with eyes that lacked the usual steel he looked at him.

_Naruto… You came back to us?_

Under that mask, a smile formed.

Naruto, sensing that, looked away, the early morning light looking most beckoning on his sun-kissed skin and the feathery touch of joy on his face.

Kakashi immediately knew what was rummaging through the young man's mind. "You missed this, eh, Naruto?"

Morning breeze ruffled Naruto's hair. "Yeah," he said, a touch of a breathless smile on his face. "I did." He turned around, ears filled with the chattering of their jounin. "I really, really did."

"Rest assured, Hokage-sama," spoke Yamato, even his features contaminated by Naruto's ease. "They missed you as well."

"Hah." Anguish penetrated Naruto's face, turning it bitter. "They shouldn't have. I mean-I shouldn't have been absent for this long; if it was enough to warrant such a reaction, it's no good. I guess I failed in a sense."

"But you came back," corrected him Kakashi.

Naruto shrugged. "Sure did, just not sure if it'll count at all. I mean, it'd be foolish to think all were as forgiving and accepting."

"And foolish to assume any otherwise," continued Kakashi, his smile growing.

Amused, Naruto snickered. "Right, Kakashi-sensei."

But then he frowned, struck by sudden horror. "Oh, right." And he removed the plug from his ear. Filled with sudden dread, Kakashi did the same and Yamato followed only tentatively, as confused as he but then-

"NARUTO YOU LITTLE PIECE OF-UGH-you touch me again and I WILL BREAK YOU."

Tsunade's voice shrieked from the device.

Somewhere to their right, a pained shout was heard.

"Well," said Naruto, smiling sheepishly, putting the plug back in and ignoring the way Kakashi and Yamato stared at him. "I guess I should have warned them or something."

From the other end, Tsunade's indignant huff was heard and a drop of sweat rolled down Kakashi's forehead.

_He's come back alright._

"Yes, you should have, you fool. At least a warning?" huffed Tsunade, voice laced with anger and Kakashi thought it wasn't exactly appropriate for everyone to bear witness to this conversation, but, alas, the devices didn't have a private mode, meaning-

-he shared a long, hard look with Yamato and both heaved a sigh.

"Chill out, granny, what's gotten your titties in a twist?" chirped Naruto, absurdly oblivious to reality.

"I swear I will have you beheaded for this, you fool. Why didn't you let anyone know that-"-and she paused. Kakashi did not dare assume foolishly the communications had been cut off. Rather- he knew she was, as anyone would have been, looking for the proper voice to say it, but "came back" was strangely awkward and painful, for the absence of that demi-god had not been welcomed with great patience. Naruto must have known as well, for he scoffed just slightly, the smile faltering and shoulders tensing.

"I was busy," he said, filling the silence. "I had someone to apologize to. I still do, of course." He paused to let her speak, but she did not and he continued. "I have the whole of Konoha to apologize to. 'Course, that would take me ages, so I figured the best way to say 'sorry, guys', though not in that exact way, would be getting to work. Oh, by the way, I'd signed those reports."

"Which ones?"

"All?"

"… Naruto." From the way her voice had dangerously dropped towards "to", it was obvious she was either fixing to launch an attack or restraining herself from doing so, but eventually she settled on an exasperated and shocked groan. "There were hundreds of those; it must have taken you the whole day."

"Four hours. Did it at night. Which reminds me… I spoke to Hinata and Kiba. I-er? I don't know how to really say this, maybe you guys have a special code for it or something…"

"A code?" Tsunade's confusion reached even Kakashi.

He blinked, clueless, as Naruto looked at him, eyes begging for assistance.

"Yeah, code, like… Dropped the bomb, the sparrow arrived, the postman is here or-"

"… What?"

Kakashi's mind swam with confusion-then it hit him; he cleared out his throat and nodded at Naruto. Lightly he pressed a finger against his ear, fingertip grazing the smooth surface of the plug, switching it on. "Tsunade-sama, I believe what Naruto is trying to say-he shared another Sasuke story."

Around them and everywhere, for sure, all those to hear these words tensed, and the forest responded accordingly, the chirping and early risers lured to thick silence.

"Ah, I see," said Tsunade after a while. "Alright. Fine, Naruto. We'll speak later. Keep everyone updated."

"Will do, baa-chan," replied Naruto, finger leaving his ear and Kakashi's hand fell back as well.

Between them, by this latent discovery and inane fools refusing to speak, uncomfortable silence arose. It was remarkably inept to expect more of people who still could not see for their lives what it had come to and how a thing that simple as love could have spiraled downwards to doom; they were all fools in love, in love with realizing they might forever lack the required to understand, a certain condition to be met if one would desire understanding all perfectly; Kakashi, actually, could not blame them and maybe, weren't it for his involvement with Naruto, he, too, might have liked to err on the oblivion as well.

Alas… Sympathetic, he squeezed Naruto's shoulder. "I guess you just dropped one on everyone."

Naruto gave him a lop-sided, testy smile. "Guess so, really. I'm not blaming anyone for reacting this way, to be honest, it must be weird to know someone I speak so reverently of is the current object of their resentment."

"Possibly," interjected Yamato. "Although I wouldn't call it actual resentment. It's you, after all."

"No, no, I meant they hate Sa-"

"I know, Hokage…sama," said the man, nervous all of the sudden. "But it's you who's loved – still loves, probably, Sasuke so much… And because of that, we can't bring ourselves to hate him; more than anything else, I suppose we're all beginning to understand how little of the meaning hate we really understand."

Naruto massaged a spot on his chest, amused yet bemused at once, helpless in a sense as well. "Yeah, I get that, I do…"

A moment later, all buzzed to life, returning to its normal order and functioning without a moment for fail; like a purring kitten this engine of theirs, their men were, dutifully and wholly committed to their job. From afar they looked like dots, in and out flying or to and fro and back and forth, maybe flies a meter away from thick-rimmed eyeglasses.

Naruto watched it all fondly and Kakashi couldn't help but feel he'd been antagonized enough by their preaching questions, and still, despite this, he wished to pry and inquire further; what exactly had dubbed him ready for human interaction? Where had he found this zest for companionship when days ago he'd barely blinked one eye? Why the sudden interest, the surprising handling of all and the preparation obviously done over night, yet looking like someone's whole life's work? … And what of the blood… The blood Shikamaru had spoken of, Hinata dreamed of and Sakura relived, shying away from any touch the moment a drop of blood in a copious rivulet appeared… What of that all?

When were they getting answers? Kakashi didn't want to remember, but still the memory perfected over years would shove another puzzle piece down his throat, and before he knew, he was thinking-_can he tell us what he doesn't know?_

He almost expected Naruto to topple over backwards, in a sense; lose his footing, trip over his past mistakes, bleed out of his eye-sockets… Bizarre fears in a bizarre, desolate world.

Then it occurred to him Naruto had kept the two of them around and finally the calculating part of his mind returned to him. Briskly, he stepped forward, the sudden movement alerting both Naruto and Yamato.

"Naruto, was there any specific reason why Yamato and I were told to stay back?"

Yamato caught on and Naruto feigned innocence. But only for a moment. Then his voice drifted into the air.

"See, Sasuke really, really is all about showing off," he started, eyes watching the dots strewn across the skies; they really were fast, all those jounin, so committed to their job. Ah… "Whether consciously or not, he feels the need to show off; certainly, he hates attention, but depends on the kind. He needs to be acknowledged like everyone else, but whereas I, for example, wanted the warmth of their smiles to be mine, Sasuke hoped for fear and respect. Even now things seem to revolve around power with him. Power here, power there… Whatever he does he pours that desire into… Even this."

A heavy weight was dropped on Kakashi's shoulders. "You're saying he wouldn't be content with just this." This seal dropped on Konoha like a sack of rotten meat in front of the gates.

Naruto's face directed on the sun darkened. "He could never ever feel content with just this. And if this is all he's done…" He turned over his shoulder and looked at them. "Then we're wrong about something here."

"The trap is elsewhere," said Yamato, hasty to make that assumption that would appease them both, but Kakashi saw, to his horror, Naruto's head make that slight motion and more weight was added to his current burden.

"Wish it were that easy, really, but it's not. If, and I say if-there are no traps, nothing bigger than this… Then it means Sasuke did not have as much time. Planning this thing, creating this seal…" Worry streaked his features with uneven lines and stricken shadows of the past. "Must have taken him…"

Kakashi fought the shudder. "Months."

"Years."

"Years?" His eyes widened into the size of saucers. "That is impossible. Why would he have waited years, why-"

"Preparation, strategy, tactics, waiting and time… But I guess knowing what had triggered it would help," muttered their Hokage and Kakashi didn't want to be helpful with that answer. The weight of that decision rested upon Yamato's shoulders and the man sensed it, mild distaste for Kakashi shown in his coal eyes.

Eventually, Yamato said that unpleasant fact. "Wouldn't that be, Naruto, when you had Iruka tell us of the seal?"

Naruto did not flinch as Kakashi had anticipated, thinking, instead, for a bit, before shaking his head. "I don't think so… I don't know… That's not long enough. I mean, if that's it, that would mean he'd only waited the whole time for me to give someone the green light…"

Yamato looked disturbed. "You were blocking that decision."

Naruto made a face. "In a way, yeah. Although, in reality, and that's the reason why I don't find it a plausible reason for Sasuke's betrayal-Sasuke had never wanted to say it to anyone himself. Although that fact was never explicitly stated."

Voices of their fellow comrades buzzed into their ears, informing them of no new discoveries and progress of this mission; the dreadful fact none had been injured so far in their unsuspecting glory by a trap filled Kakashi with horror.

"To explain…" Naruto's dreamy voice cut through that; Kakashi was sure that at that very moment, this stark creature of all of hope was seeing those many moments flash before his eyes like a fast-forwarded movie. "He never said yes, he never said no, he never said a damn thing, but there were things, you know, Sasuke never spoke about, things he actually, in a sense and in his own, special and idiotic way, avoided like a plague. I know for an instance, that our seal was as special to him as it was to me. There were days when he'd mock me, saying I should tell you, but he knew I'd refuse, and days when he'd call it inane but to do whatever made my boat float, and always, it was about not holding my hand and the world not being a rose garden." He smirked. "I don't even think Sasuke understands the meaning of garden."

There was little about this story Kakashi could understand, but everything he desired to unravel. He moved a bit closer, standing by Naruto's right, seeking instinctively the blond's ever-blue eyes. "Continue." No more, no less.

Naruto obeyed. Rather, he'd probably waited to hear that. "I know Sasuke. Which is why, thinking about this now, so few things about his… alleged betrayal make sense to me. It doesn't make sense he'd have acted upon me agreeing to share the story… If so, then you knowing would have disturbed him in a different way, something like the fallen hero whimpering in a corner, feeling the horse has lost its legs, too blind to see that it's only gotten a different saddle. I mean-he would have been furious and hurt, but what he did speaks of a different kind of emotion. Betraying me this way speaks to me he was not hurt at all and rather, did not care about you knowing…"

"Maybe he did care, Naruto…"

"If he cared, he would have stayed. He didn't and he fled. Or… Escaped. Bolted. Still with the seal. That seal too." For the first time since being re-acquainted with their Kage, Kakashi saw anger flash across his features. "How DID he break it… It's impossible."

"He managed."

"Impossible. I don't understand this at all. NOTHING… makes sense."

Kakashi thought for a moment. "What does your heart tell you, Naruto?"

He expected something noble and chivalrous, but what he got was so. So.

So.

Incredibly…

… Hurt.

And… so… s-so… SO small.

And piercing. Like he'd just ripped out a chunk of himself and stomped on it in fury.

"My heart told me to mourn his loss, to grieve after him. My heart would have had me discard my pride, my people, my friends and everyone I hold dear to me. My heart, Kakashi-sensei, no longer matters as long as Sasuke is concerned."

It was so simple, you know?

Simple conditions, explanations; Sasuke loves Naruto, so hearing of people knowing of a bond so special for them both, he loses it and betrays the man he loves, yet then the seal crafted like the most beautiful of women with the artist's rapacious touch reveals that a thing stronger than knowing must have driven him.

If it's hate, however, them knowing is of no effect and the long wait before the anticipated end begs for question.

Or, maybe, was them knowing just an excuse? Or is there, once more, another thing they don't know…

Kakashi's head swam and on top of it-

_You are back, Naruto… Or, maybe just a portion of you. Tell me, where did you leave your heart…?_

Perhaps, he thought, would it still reside with Sasuke, clutched firmly, beating and pumping blood, bleeding in his hands and he'd never let go as long as the sun shone and the world persisted in existing? Yes, it would pump blood even then, the _deus ex machina_ of isolation. The problem is solved. Simply, don't have a heart…

Naruto got too lost in thoughts after that to continue their conversation and many hours later all teams returned, reporting the happy news of wiping off all blood marks and seeing no other traps of any kind, and Kakashi and Yamato turned to each other as Naruto gave the teams a troubled congratulation for their hard work and issued new orders like a machine.

The situation was resolved in a way and the news of their leader's recovery greeted them at the gates with warm smiles, eyes brimming with emotions and hands reaching out to touch him just once and get the taste of gods.

And the whole time Kakashi couldn't shake off the feeling that as Naruto had discarded the memory of Sasuke, revealing to the two stunned eye-witnesses his abysmal treatment of that heart, that his face so tanned had gone ashen – and in the ear he'd seen so clear, one lone droplet of blood.

_What did you do to yourself… Naruto?_

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

"What do you dream of, Sasuke? What do you see when you close your eyes? Is it me, is it me, or is it us?"

_The downpour was amazing. _

_Yet not nearly as liberating as some would think; he didn't stand in the middle of the street, arms spread in an eagle-like way and eyes closed as he pictured the water to be washing away all his sins. He was standing in the middle of streets, marginally annoyed with the world, soaked to the bone and all because of one blond, blue-eyed idiot who kept claiming the hotel was in that direction; conveniently, "that" direction always meant the wrong direction, and as Sasuke had not paid enough attention to where they were staying before, he was actually doomed to rely on Naruto._

_Or, in other words, just doomed._

_After a moment, Naruto just altogether gave up, the blond hair looking like straws and tanned skin almost translucent under the darkened skies._

"_Ugh, whatever, this village's a maze. Stupid, stupid Amegakure," he cursed._

_Sasuke stared at him. _

_Naruto whined. "Ugh, what are we going to do now?"_

_And stared at Sasuke._

_Right, like Sasuke knew. Obviously hide, but couldn't that the blond figured out himself? Apparently no._

_He shrugged, somehow used already to this terrible cold water and looked around; water would obscure his eye-vision, the rain thick and heavy, but he wasn't exactly looking for a needle in a haystack, rather a small hiding spot… Ah, there._

_Quickly, before Naruto had more time to produce an additional bout of highly homicide-inducing thoughts, he grabbed his hand and dragged him towards a nearby building, a grocery shop of sorts with the windows barred and doors sealed shut, but the roof wide enough to offer them sanctity. Under it, only the cold air reached them, and he almost slammed Naruto against the wall, shuffling close to it himself and resisting the urge to heave out a sigh of relief when the droplets no longer left him._

_Now, the only thing left was-"Idiot."_

_Stating the obvious._

_Naruto didn't reply, sending a scathing look in his direction, and shaking the water off like the dog he was._

_Sasuke, thankfully, had a lot more dignity and grace than that – and also enough brains to realize there was no point in trying to get dry, not when on top of being cold, the air was soggy and getting dry was as likely as Naruto growing some brains._

"_Bleh, there's no point in this. This place is soggy like hell," cursed Naruto under his breath._

_From the corner of his eyes, Sasuke looked at him._

_Strange… Both had thought of soggy… No matter._

_Afterwards, it was the usual; as Sasuke brushed his pitch-black hair back, droplets of water in chilly rivulets running down his skin, Naruto proceeded to curse out every existence in this world, starting with, typically enough, the stupid mission, the stupid "baa-chan" – really, the cheek in him –, continuing with stupid village of Rain again and ending with stupid Sasuke for good measure. Just typical. Even many, many months later Naruto didn't tire of that._

_Not that Sasuke could speak, he realized, because he just-"Idiot." Yeah. That. _

_Apparently, Naruto thought it was an endearment, for he grinned and flicked Sasuke on the forehead; involuntarily, Sasuke flinched, which escaped the blond's attention._

"_Yeah, yeah, Sasuke-chan, but look at this, would you? You're stuck with this idiot. Sucks to be you, man," he cheered, beaming, and flexed._

_Sasuke thought he was an idiot._

_But punched him lightly in the side almost like he was one himself._

_No matter. Small signs of playful nature he clearly wasn't in possession of were easily ignored, and Naruto didn't deserve any better, just punches and kicks for being so dim-witted and simple, so-_

"_Oi, oi, that almost, ALMOST hurt, Sasuke," grumbled Naruto, making a face._

_Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Whatever." Child._

_Always a child._

_Fine. Think. Mission._

_Check on the treaty with Ame, stay for as long as necessary, return with the news, figure out what their leader had in store for the country and ensure it didn't in any way cross Fire's hunger for power. Ha. It WAS, after all, all about power, always was._

_Idly, Sasuke watched the surroundings. _

_People running to and fro, but looking not panicky, rather lazily annoyed with this weather, not even bothering to show more emotion-yet showing a lot more than necessary whenever their eyes happened to land on his figure. Then – they'd show fear. And scuttle away._

_Further his eyes narrowed._

_Of course. They would never forget about Uchiha Sasuke. Never._

_A hand touched his shoulder. Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Naruto, get off."_

"_No." Naruto squeezed the shoulder. "Never mind them."_

_Cold. "You don't know what you're talking about."_

"_That's supposed to be 'I'."_

_He looked at him. What?_

_Naruto had a strange expression on his face. "That's supposed to be 'I don't know what you're talking about', or a 'hn', that would suffice, too."_

_Sasuke didn't reply; Naruto's randomly wistful nature was farce and heresy; he had no desire to indulge any portion of the meddlesome curiosity and wonder where it had come from. Instead, he opted for the obvious - ignorance._

_And Naruto's hand slipped from his shoulder and cold attacked him._

_A soft tremor went through his body. Whether he was aware of it or not – likely he was, being an Uchiha and all that and it'd be a great blow to his pride not to know of everything, the curse of omniscience –, Sasuke moved closer._

_Naruto's warmth just – ever-so-subtly – touched him._

_They lapsed into silence, both watching the rain, planning – at least on Sasuke's part – to look for their hotel again the moment the downpour declined. Thankfully, there was still time, as the country's lord had informed them arrogantly of his plans to further think on this matter before making his decision known, meaning they had to wait at least a few days before the old fart finally put his foot down and acted a man. Honestly… A total waste of time._

_From side, he heard Naruto's soft sigh penetrate the air. "Old fart should have put his foot down already. Honestly, a total waste of time."_

_Sasuke looked at a random point ahead._

_Thought for a moment… a moment, then-_

"… _Agreed."_

_It was… Agreed. Yes. Yes… Like Naruto had read his mind…? Impossible. Settled. Yes. It's settled, that's impossible._

_But Naruto was watching him intently and Sasuke realized he was leaning against the wall like for support, whereas Naruto was just standing near._

_Unbecoming._

_Still, he didn't move._

_He didn't want to._

_Together, they both stood in complete silence, only the dull thundering of rain in background and after a while that altogether disappeared, leaving Sasuke with his disarrayed state of mind. Naruto was no longer looking at him but at the ground for a change, something Sasuke was eager to dub a sign of insanity, but instead he took the chance to inspect the other's face. Which he did._

_He did._

_And a bit too much…_

_There were rivulets. But Naruto's were different. Those on Naruto's face were completely different. Sasuke pondered if it was the seal acting up, making him take note of the way one particular drop cascaded down Naruto's cheeks-before Naruto looked up and the drop dropped, forever gone, and-_

_-the stark contrast on Naruto's features was too much; underneath this roof, the shadows played a cruel game, pronouncing his cheekbones and the eyes that had never looked more focused and in deeper thought. _

_Sasuke found himself asking –_ what are you thinking, _what_ are you thinking about… What is on your mind. What what what… just what…?

What, Naruto? What-…

_Strange. _

"_What are you thinking about?"_

_He expected a sarcastic reply, something sardonic, laconic… Naruto only blinked. "This rain."_

"_Hm, it's fascinating rain would elicit such a response from you, Naruto, strike a sense of thought onto your features."_

"_Why, Sasuke?" Naruto looked at him. "Were you watching me?" And he looked through him._

_Sasuke, without thinking leaned closer. "…No. There is nothing to be seen on your face, Naruto, nothing but the complexion of an idiot."_

_As if humble, Naruto smiled and shook his head. "So you think you never change, do you, eh, Sasuke?"_

"_What sort of conundrum is that?"_

"_No conundrum, Sasuke, no mystery impersonated."_

_Impersonated? Sasuke wanted to smirk; ah, so his presence was finally having some bountiful effects on Naruto? But such things were prone to work both ways, weren't they? Ah, he dreaded to think what awful influence this dobe was having on him. Maybe impacting his thoughts somehow, changing the course of his life… The seal. The seal._

_Sasuke placed a hand on his heart. Naruto followed the movement, scooting closer and closer-and why was he doing that? And why wasn't Sasuke stopping him?_

"_Does it hurt?" he asked stupidly, to which Sasuke wanted to scoff._

_Instead, his face remained impassive by force. "Thinking."_

"_About what?"_

"_Nothing you would understand."_

_Rueful and immune, curse that fact, Naruto grinned. _

_Sasuke remembered. His hand slipped away. "I never change?"_

"_People change, Sasuke. Or do you think your Uchiha pride would prevent you from that?"_

_Sasuke's features hardened. The pride was the only thing he'd ever surely had and he opened his mouth to say it-he didn't. This, he'd never tell Naruto._

_Forever claiming it a treasure to keep._

_Naruto wouldn't relent. He looked around, face as impassive as he was expressive, but when again his eyes rested on Sasuke's, they were strange. Just strange. Sasuke would never curse his inability to read people as well as Naruto did, but he'd feel discontent to know that thing he could never accomplish seamlessly. Or maybe, maybe-he felt a warm feeling on his chest. Warmth. Not invasive, no, but it was a thing strange, and Sasuke suddenly thought he could read Naruto very well._

_And he felt, at that very moment, what Naruto did. _

Of course…_ The seal. Sometimes it did things like this, too, connecting them on a whole new level, as if souls bound didn't suffice… Was it that eager, this thing? Sometimes sentient and living it struck him as, making him feel and sense things not his own and he knew then – he was feeling Naruto. Inside him, inside his mind, just there, and it was warm in there, too, so warm… Safe. Lulling him to sleep, to the false pretense of security, a pretense Sasuke, even at that moment, wanted to make real…_

_Naruto was looking at him again._

_And this time, it looked like he knew as well._

_Outside, the rain continued to fall, as heavy as before and maybe that was their excuse for not moving, for it did cease then what would it be? What would fill Sasuke with a blanket of security and confidence, what then?_

_Naruto had still that strange look in his eyes. But Sasuke knew what it was. He only… only… didn't want to name it. He didn't._

_But he knew what it was._

"_People," he started. "Are not nearly as susceptible to changes as you'd like to think at times, Naruto."_

"_You're not people, you're one person. I'm one person as well. Stop this nonsense this instant. Right? You want to say that. I beat you to it. Now you're going to feel wounded in that typically stoic, uptight fashion. Oh, Sasuke…" Naruto was smiling. Cheeky, rueful, petulant, childish, terrible, freaky, a monster that saw right through him and Sasuke didn't know – act accordingly, or scold him for making assumptions?_

_He thought-_

_-and actually-_

_-smiled. Covered it by a smirk next instant. "One victory does not promote others, Naruto."_

"_I would know that."_

"_Would you?"_

"_I never won."_

"_What?"_

"_This. This… You."_

_Sasuke felt his heart clench. "Naruto, at the most inappropriate, strangest, worst of times, you can be so thoughtful and bright."_

_Naruto's lips twitched, amusement flickering in his eyes. "I want go home, eh… Can't. This mission really is stupid. Power, power, power… It's all about power, and sometimes I almost think it's all Konoha wants; like a terrible, hungry monster, it hunts its own species, feasting on their bodies, its thirst for power unquenchable… Unreasonable."_

_Truth, but-_

_-the next instant pain flashed across Naruto's eyes and he clutched his chest. "Ugh… And stupid seals are stupid. Can't even voice out my opinion. How do you do it?"_

_Sasuke scowled, mixture of worry-it wasn't worry it was not was not wasn't-at all. Not at all-Naruto saw his confusion._

"_You hate Konoha, Sasuke, you hate everyone, don't you? You don't want to be there. But despite that… I mean, those thoughts should lead to betrayal, no?"_

"_They don't, Naruto," he replied without thinking-_

"_Eh…? But how it was that possible?"_

_It's simple, it's because-_

_Sasuke's lips twitched as well. Solemn, he looked at ground, suddenly understanding why Naruto had done it before. And then he put a hand on Naruto's head, on the wet strands already drying, fingers slinking down the curved and unruly tresses._

"_Don't let that bother you, Naruto."_

_He was confused that, boy, uncomprehending. _

I guess I know why you would think that, Naruto… And understand why I wouldn't tell you…

_He didn't pry further afterwards._

_Sasuke knew what he was doing; hoping. He was hoping. That Naruto would look inside his heart and understand. Understand what was happening, understand everything. Understand him._

Understand me.

_Two girls ran by, then stopped, pointing at their hiding place-but they saw something neither Naruto, nor Sasuke were aware of, and as Sasuke looked at them darkly, reflected in their widened and flabbergasted eyes he saw the truth._

_Stunned to the root, the girls let the rain briefly traumatize them, terrorized too much by Sasuke's smothering eyes, before scampering away like he wished them to._

_Naruto remained oblivious._

_Naruto, it appeared, was doomed to forever remain oblivious._

_And Sasuke didn't know what he felt._

_Didn't know…_

_How in their bewildered stares, he'd seen a reflection of them two, leaning so tightly onto each other they may have been lovers. Their intimate embrace, he'd glimpsed, resembling of two trees intertwined. He'd seen almost no distance, and feeling it now – there was no distance. Their heads were less than an inch apart, their bodies turned to the other's._

_They really were like. In love._

_Sasuke's heart, under the touch of that, melted._

_He felt a stroke of possession, a touch of protectiveness, a tingle of jealousy. THEY… weren't privileged to see. See this whatever it was, grace their presence with their foul touch. It was… It was…_

_Sasuke's insides swam with darkness._

Do you feel this, Naruto? Do you feel this darkness inside me? Do you know what we'd done? What we'd accomplished? We've come closer to god than any other. We've reached far beyond anyone's reach. Anyone's understanding. We've bound ourselves together. We're sealed together, kept close. Do you feel the changes already? Do you feel the power when I'm close? The changes inside of me when you are present?

Do you, Naruto?

Do you?

DO YOU.

_Naruto's eyes closed. _

"_Sasuke…"_

What. What. You fool.

"… _Your thoughts are too loud."_

_Thud. Thud. Thud. Interrupted by thump-thump-thump._

_Months. Long months. Since his release… Almost a year now._

_Sasuke mirrored Naruto. And closed his eyes. And kept them closed._

_Inside his heart, the feeling grew. It just grew. And he didn't fight it. There was a portion of Naruto in there was well, the seal acting this way to… to maybe what… No. Sasuke had learned already it wasn't faked. It wasn't fabricated. This seal did not create a thing. _

_It just made resistance futile._

_Around them, the air grew warmer. Sometime later, both were looking at each other again, completely silent, motionless, no words needed._

_They could read each other's mind in the most unconventional of ways, no actual thoughts breaking through, rather – the whole, bigger picture._

_And after a long while, the rain stopped. It stopped slowly and step by step, eventually ceasing at last, people swarming the streets again._

_Yet._

_For many long moments._

_And in reality, for Sasuke counted and Sasuke knew…_

_For many long hours, they did not move from the same spot, content to remain in each other's presence, the world outside nothing but a figment of their imagination._

At the moment, Naruto, there's no-one else but you and I.

I want this to forever be our world.

Forever.

_Light._

_Swirling. And a sphere. That sang. With joy…_

Just us.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

He looked up.

"What are you looking at?"

Naruto smiled. "It's raining."

Iruka leaned against the railing as well and held out an umbrella, shielding them both from the rain.

"I was remembering something."

"Was it…?"

"Hah."

So it was then… About Sasuke again. Sympathy laced heavily Iruka's eyes. "I'm sorry."

Naruto sighed against the railing, blowing a few rain drops away. "Nah, I should be the one apologizing."

"You're tired," commented Iruka.

"Yeah."

"I hear you spent the whole day working. First early in the morning, filling out reports, assigning people on missions, issuing commands, then directing the reconstructions, helping build…" Worry creased his features. "You must be exhausted to the brink of death, Naruto."

"Maybe. Not really." A soft smile caressed the boy's features – man's… No, man's. It was hard even now for Iruka to consider Naruto a man. "But it's good exhausted."

Helpless, Iruka laughed. "I suppose so."

The sun had almost set down. Konoha looked alive. Their Hokage had returned. All was looking alright.

Just Iruka couldn't shake off the feeling that was just their wishful thinking. Things seemed to be looking well for them, with everything running smoothly and everyone's mind filled to the brims with the things Naruto had managed in one day, accomplished without anyone's assistance or aided help. It had nursed all those wretched opinions of him to health; now, people believed at last the Uchiha beast had not feasted on his mind, not changed him for good, and that working without him was not a mere possibility, rather the way things were. All was good. Was supposed to be good… And Naruto had shared a story that Hinata had bitterly re-told while shaking from head to toes, far too much guilt emanating from her figure.

She wasn't ready for that, and Shikamaru had still given his congratulations afterwards, his whole demeanor tender and nourishing, and people were really thinking – everything is fine.

Only Iruka would look at Naruto the way he did now, aware on too many levels of the sunken cheeks, the face lacking the roundness and the body smaller, thinner, like he'd lost a lot of weight. He'd seen him pop a soldier pill before, and somehow it'd frightened him. Just as the very prospect of bringing it up. And now his fears felt surreal and bizarre, put to shame by Naruto's look of love directed at Konoha.

"They want a meeting."

"A meeting," repeated Iruka slowly, mind still burdened by the previous thoughts. "I… suspected so. They want explanations, don't they?"

"Not everyone is willing to accept Shikamaru's words, less alone now; in their eyes he's my accomplice, so of course he'd act on my behest, you know? Eh." He shrugged, eyes closed, resting, posture still relaxed. "I'll need to prove to the council I'm no failure of a Kage. Don't know how I'll do that…"

"Ah, I imagine that's going to be difficult."

Naruto grumbled something under his breath, the signature foxy smile on his features. "Old farts could never be easily appeased even before. It was always about but you're too young, but you're the Kyuubi, but people don't forget easily, but this and that, but Uchiha. Flawed thinking, really. I mean, if I am the Kyuubi, then they should realize Kyuubi is millennia old, making me thus their elder. Blah, blah, blah. Useless rapport."

Iruka laughed. It was strange how easily soothed he was by this, and how still it had to occur to either of them – this was their first actual meeting in years.

"It's like they're saying baa-chan ruined everything when she picked me. They're idiots. Baa-chan didn't pick me." His voice dropped to an inaudible, intimate level, tremulous, eyes staring at one of the many buildings below. "She just realized people had picked me. Hokage is never the person most fearsome. Or the strongest. I suppose the title would have remained with baa-chan then, or gone to Kyuubi, ironically enough… The title goes to those that have earned everyone's love and respect."

At those lightly spoken words, Iruka's eyes swelled and his heart – touched – almost stopped. "You've grown… so much, Naruto," he whispered, words softer than soft, feathery as they caressed the air around them, for he was afraid of this scene shattering upon anything harsher than harsh and this mirage disappearing.

Naruto only inclined his head to the side, further burrowing it in his arms, almost attached to the railing, to the safety support. "Ne, Iruka-sensei…"

"Yes?"

"Do you hate me as much as I hate myself for doing that to you?"

Iruka's eyes filled with tears; an impossible strength constricted his heart, making each beat a painful reminder of his existence, and in the presence of this angelic being, he felt like that putrid stench to sully it beyond all comprehension. He felt – un… deserving of this. And of his sympathy.

Eventually and just a second later, he barked out a bitter laugh. "No." The umbrella was lowered. "I could never. You're too important a person to me, Naruto, too close to being the little brother I never had. I watched you grow… You taught me without even knowing it… So many things."

"But you were hurt by it."

"Naruto… This cool and hard façade you put up? It never worked on me."

Much like a child, Naruto fretted, and despite the shrouding darkness, Iruka could tell a blush on the man's face.

"… Chee… You always could see right through me."

"True enough, but that feels like a lie now."

"Heh…" A sigh. Naruto leaned back, straightened himself up, a glint in his eyes.

What kind of glint?

Next thing Iruka knew, Naruto was reaching inside his pocket and popping another soldier pill in his mouth.

"Naruto, that's not good," he warned him, beadily watching the pill disappear.

Naruto grimaced, crunching the pill down swiftly and appearing disgusted. "I have to. I have far too many things to do. I'd neglected my office for weeks, basically, and work's piled up; can't just go to sleep now."

"You have to sleep."

"Won't do, can't do!" he exclaimed, stubborn, prompting an additional layer of worry on top of the current one. "I'll nap later. Sleep, nap. Whatever… Until then-eugh."

"Naruto?"

"Hmm… Head is spinning," commented the man, eyes scrunched up, surveying the surroundings with displeasure, as if the planet were spinning too fast and he didn't approve – but before Iruka could act on his mother hen instinct, a bright smile replaced the grimace and Naruto turned to him, snatching the umbrella from his hands and holding it out for them both.

"Let's go, Iruka-sensei. Want to keep me company as I work?"

Iruka's heart thumped happily. "I'd love to. We'll catch up?"

"Lots and lots of catching up to do… Almost years."

"Let's go then?"

"Go?"

Was that… Mischief in Naruto's eyes? … Oh, no-

"Let's race!"

Without further ado, Naruto waved the umbrella around and sped towards the Hokage tower, laughing all the way there, Iruka following, maybe begrudgingly, but smiling nonetheless, right behind him.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Kabuto did in no way actually resemble a snake. He resembled, rather, an abandoned, offended lover that sought revenge and wouldn't let go, memories of the past clogging his mind and preventing rational thought; nothing but the despicable presence would flourish, and even now – that much was visible.

As he slithered around Sasuke's torso, arms wrapped around him, snake-like eyes directed the man's stoic face.

Sasuke, for record, was not ignoring him.

He was, in reality, incapable of looking at him, for the face of such sultry need disgusted him. And he didn't need that, not when-not when-

"Sssasssuke… Look, brought you ssome more. Oh, more, more more… How many more, Sssasssuke?"

Sasuke didn't want to open his eyes. Didn't want to- but he did.

One hundred men betrothed to death. One hundred examples of human trash. One hundred proofs of his guilt. One hundred reasons – to be detested.

Blankly, he stared at them.

And he saw a flash of blond and the echo of ringing laughter.

_Clench._

Against him, Kabuto hissed, pleased, and Sasuke peeled him off with measured nonchalance, turning on his heel and walking into the darkness of the hallway. Kabuto fell down, and attempted to follow him-

"Stay."

Not even a dog deserved that kind of a tone. But Kabuto was not a dog, was he? He was a vile creature, and proof number 101 that Sasuke had nothing to gain. From this majestic loss.

He reached his chambers, or just the makeshift large room built into stone, damp and dark and lacking life, walls stained with the blood of millions Orochimaru had in his life slaughtered.

Sasuke sat down on the bed, leaned forward, assuming what most would regard as a comfortable position of a thinker and an elegant gentleman, elbows against his knees and hands dangling in the space between his legs – and he waited.

Waited. Waited.

In the silence of the darkness, each beat the heart took was a journey to hell with no way back, each one closer to the inevitable moment of death.

Waited. And he waited again.

A moment. One short moment. It would come, present itself soon. It never arrived too late, never too early and it waited – always, in the darkness.

It waited, too, for him.

And it-

A body that knelt before him and looked up with those beautiful eyes. "Did you miss me, Sasuke?" It reached out, cupped his cheek with fake love.

"_Did you miss your Naruto?"_

Sasuke removed the hand, but not the man, not that-

-his hand passed through the arm-froze. And he remembered what nightmare he was dealing with.

Again that hand touched him. So real, so real, it could have been a dream, yet it was not and knowing didn't matter. Around this thing nothing mattered.

It stared back and he felt content referring to it this way. An It.

Musing, it smiled, abandoned touch and stood up. Slow, lazy steps were taken as it circled Sasuke's huddled figure, and from the corner of his eyes Sasuke could see it absently touch all in its wake; the bed, similarly, succumbed to its vile existence, and Sasuke had to tear his eyes away and close them again.

"Sasuke… don't ignore me," it spoke, a languid caress and fabricated, sinister love in its voice. "I am here for you, after all. Or maybe you don't like how I look? Should I change my clothes, Sasuke, change my style for you, change my hair? Should I change anything for you, Sasuke?"

The voice cheerful and eerie echoed around.

"You don't, don't, don't like this Sasuke, do you? This painful reminder. I asked you before. Do you think of me? Think of us? Behind your closed eyes or-… _or._" A smirk.

He could feel it.

It was smirking.

Against his best wishes, he opened his eyes.

It was kneeling there again, eyes widely cruel and wholly dirty. "Do you wonder if he thinks of you every time? If you appear behind his blue eyes? Do you, Sasuke. Do you… Do you wonder if he sees me as well… Rather, you?" Despicable. Despicable… This existence and mockery.

In the back of Sasuke's throat, bile rose, and he leveled it a look of immense hatred, outwardly remaining as cold as his feelings for this laughing and taunting memory of him.

But it knew, for it was a part of him, ripped from his heart and compromised of his memories and wishes and desires, dressed in that outfit that held a special place in Sasuke's heart and that-

-that…

-that…

It knew, indeed.

Lazily, its finger traced Sasuke's thigh.

"You can't hide anything from me, Sasuke, you can't hide anything from yourself." A smile. "It's pathetic, isn't it? A pity there's no mirror. No mirrors around… _You_ wouldn't keep them and Orochimaru never did. But if one were around, I'd want you to look at yourself. At your reflection. So you'd see…" it trailed off, leaned in, lips brushing against Sasuke's ear-

"Just how pathetic you are at the moment. A lone man and a lone wolf to bear this curse on his shoulders, hefted there because of nothing less than fear. Fear that drove you to this place, fear for something denied to you that holds you stuck in this pose, because you know he hated you looking like this and it gave you a sense of control over him; seated this way, Sasuke, you always did feel like in control. Which…" Cocked its head to the side, a ghostly hand running through Sasuke's hair. "… You never held. Control over yourself… Of him as well."

Like a phantom it glided away, standing in its full glory in front of Sasuke-

_Clench._

"A true pity, Sasuke, that you can't see the man seated on the bed, not the way I do; trembling, trembling despite all attempts, and crying, weeping inside, shedding tears of blood and pain… Suffering, because he knows this me, this man a fly, that this _hallucination_ is the only thing he'll ever get."

The fake Naruto had the strangest of urges to appear understanding and sympathetic, head inclined to the side in a fashion far too resembling of the real one, and Sasuke could only stare at the strands of golden to shapely adorn the cheeks.

Could only stare and ignore the way-

-his heart clenched.

It knew all the while, sensed every new current of thoughts, controlling the torrent of this pitying, heart-throbbing and exquisite existence.

It smiled.

And started to bleed.

_It knows._

Sasuke froze.

_He knows._

Absently it looked at him, eyes growing sleepy and pained, a look of a faraway tale in them-then swarmed by blood as well.

Sasuke's entire body hurled forward and his hands shot down by instinct, clamped tightly around the rock bed, digging deeply into its cold surface and not stopping even when the object seemed to crumble, the power of his touch too much for it hold against.

"The proof of your love, eh… Conjured up, eh? How sad you must re-live this every day, every night, every time alone, forever alone." The melodic voice started to drift away, the eyes to close, the body to disappear, the blood to remain. "A part of your ordeal, but you'd not signed up for it, had not known an attachment so profound would bite you this hard. How pitiful, Sasuke, indeed. How very sad… You can't even stop this. And every night you'll watch this… This."

It threw its arms around, hysteria on its-his, on Naruto's features.

"_Your worst nightmare. Your worst reality."_

_Clench._

A sob wrought through him, lurching his body forwards, knees shattering upon impact with the ground, sharp injection of pain tainting every cell, splinters from the ground digging into his palms.

"The sun you can't save from dying."

He gritted his teeth and looked at it-

LOOKED AT IT.

"_You listen to me."_

It paused.

Sasuke gathered himself to his feet, a motion pained and painstakingly dragged out as all thoughts heaved him down.

"It will not happen. I _will_ save him."

Naruto's features dissolved into regret.

"I wish you would, Sasuke, I wish you would."

At the very last moment, it achieved a mind of its own and came to life, reaching out with a shaky hand to gently place it over Sasuke's face.

"Some things, however, are not meant to change, Sasuke. And you are just a human."

Horror tore at him.

"Less than a human, in fact."

They stood opposite each other, and while a figment of imagination, the touch was tangibly real, the voice corporeal, the threat worse than he'd dreamed.

"After all, Sasuke, you are talking to yourself right now."

The hand slipped away, revealing a toothy, bashful grin.

"_That's the first sign of insanity, my __**lover**__."_

He breathed out a gut-wrenching groan.

"You are going insane, Sasuke. I wish you happy dreams, even while fully aware of your immense fear of them and the fact you've not dreamed in years, not since then… Farewell, Sasuke. See you in your own, private hell."

It disappeared.

Alone in the spacious place he stood. The ceiling didn't look to be coming down, the walls weren't getting closer, nothing falling apart, for Sasuke did not exist in this world. Rather – a different one, yes, one full of silent moments, unspoken agreements, bright smiles and tender loves.

The world which he had lost.

Many moment later, when Kabuto appeared with reports and repeatedly tried to get his attention, when he snapped his fingers and actually got physical, when he hissed with surprise and slithered back in something reminiscent of a horrified jump, when Sasuke actually was roused from his so-called reverie sincerely a place fucked up- his attention sizzled to life, his lips parted, parched, and pupils banded, eyes puffy and red, a single, lone drop glistening as it kissed his cheek and travelled down and he looked on ahead with eyes of snuffed vengeance.

At that moment, Kabuto, a corpse re-animated, who in his past life had not felt an ounce of regret and not the notion for emotion for anyone other than himself and the morbid, grotesque fascination with his master, remained speechless. Nothing akin to glee touched his mind. Nothing like perverse thoughts that rose to existence upon this sight. Nothing like anything that dared interrupt.

Silent for once, maybe just unable to stomach this, Kabuto gave the man a moment.

And watched Sasuke cry.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

"Sakura-san?" A robust woman called out, fat fingers curled and beckoning her to step forward. She did so, a large smile on her face, eyes lighting up with mirth as the woman only handed her the signed documents she'd been waiting for since ever, and she cradled the file to her chest, breathless and wordless for once, radiating gratitude like the sun.

The woman dismissed her with a knowing smile, and Sakura bowed before scampering off in the direction of the tower.

Soon enough, just as she'd hoped many long whiles ago, someone quite familiar and welcome joined her, crossing her path at an intersection and immediately noting the file she carried with the fervent love of an overbearing, over-protective mother.

"Don't tell me-is that what I think it is?"

Sakura grinned, barely containing her joy. Without waiting, she thrust the file into the other's hand. "Yes! Naruto finally signed them. He's doubled the budget, shishou!"

Tsunade's jaw dropped. "You have got to be kidding be," she gasped out, disbelief in her eyes as she grabbed the file, opened it, quickly skimming through its many pages and trying to find that page spelling "fake". But that never arrived. Realizing this, her eyes almost dropped out of their sockets and she continued to stare at Sakura with unfiltered shock.

Joyous, Sakura bobbed her head and snatched the file back, sensing Tsunade was soon going to drop it and she didn't want those precious treasures sullied, not in the least!

"How did this happen?"

"Oh, I don't know!" she cried, almost laughing at Tsunade's disdained voice; shishou was so quick to question the good, but Sakura wouldn't let go of this one easily. "Naruto's been on a roll since two days ago. Finally I got only the thing I'd asked him to look at months ago. _Jeez._"

Tsunade blinked. "And you were on your way to thank him?"

"Actually, yes. I mean." Nervous, she laughed, blush tinting her cheeks. "I know he's busy with stuff and all, but this would be the first time that he'd turned me down because he is actually busy, not just faking to cover for Sasuke's jealousy. And it's sort of… I don't know. It's sort of fantastic," she breathed out, sounding dreamy and like a love-struck girl, which she did know but couldn't fight, genuine zest for life for once filling her mind.

Tsunade's suspicions lessened and the expression of disapproval melted away. "I see. Well, there's something I need to speak to him about, so let me just tag along."

"Ah, what is it?" asked Sakura as she stepped up and walked on with the woman by her side, joy slightly diminished and controlled now.

"Meeting? Council is requesting an official meeting to attest Naruto's ability to lead this country," admitted Tsunade lightly, that tone being the reason Sakura didn't immediately get it.

It took four long strides for the words to properly register, and when they did she looked at Tsunade with utmost horror on her face.

Tsunade, seeing that, gave her a helpless smile. "Don't look at me that way, Sakura, everyone knew this was coming. It was only a matter of time before the council seized its chances and finally confronted Naruto."

Sakura pushed the horror aside and sighed; way to ruin her joy, way to ruin this late morning. "Ah, I know. I'd hoped to avoid this."

"Most of us had, but a few days of over-exerting himself won't be that instant proof he's patched things up," said Tsunade, this time careful with her words. "The fact remains the very man that had been his closest friend, guardian and adviser had launched a surprise attack on Konoha and endangered everyone's life. I'm afraid that because of Naruto's connection to that, he'll be held responsible for Sasuke's actions."

Heart sinking into murky depths, Sakura pursed her lips into a thin line. "I'd honestly hoped to avoid this."

"I'm sorry, Sakura. We all had."

Both women grimaced, letting these troubling thoughts mar their features. Eventually, feeling the tower was still impossibly far away – and looking up to glimpse the building and realize she was right –, Sakura broke the silence again. "Any other news? How is Naruto handling it?"

"Good, from what I know," came Tsunade's reply, the words cautiously chosen from among the many candidates. "Everyone is speaking suddenly. Of course, there are still these two mysteries that might be rumors flying around, spreading faster than those trying to stop them. Obnoxious hearsay, but still an interesting source of information."

"What is it?"

Tsunade huffed. "They say that Naruto did not comment on the tunnel Sasuke had dug under his old home; I got various jumbled up versions of that story from many jounin, all of who claim to have been sworn to secrecy by Naruto's eyes, but what I did piece together is that Kakashi and Shikamaru asked him to take a look at that as well, seeing as Naruto still does know the most about Sasuke, and apparently Naruto had nothing to say."

"That's good, no? …Wait, depends on how that's meant?"

"Brutally ripped out of context, for sure," commented the woman sourly. "Annoying either way, but basically-he refused to comment on it, that's all. I know we were wondering what kind of jutsu Sasuke had used to create it, or if he'd mastered earth jutsu as well, but the only thing we did find out was that, as Naruto said, Sasuke had never found patience for those, never understood their raw power and avoided them."

Sakura groaned, avoiding colliding into a young couple rambunctiously gamboling by. "Great. Makes sense, maybe? Well, I wouldn't know, what's the other?"

"There's a rumor, a new one and not so new one at the same time and it's starting to worry people. It's also the actual reason behind the meeting being postponed; the council had planned to hold it two days ago early in the morning, but the recent findings and this one miscalculation had kept it begrudgingly at bay."

It was not a task for those observant, only demanding the usage of ears, but it was a task for the bold and fearless to contain the shudder that threatened to break her focus; after all, hearing the irrefutable darkness in Tsunade's voice couldn't warrant any other reaction. At least not from those capable of emotion.

Hoping in vain that she wouldn't regret being capable of that in a few moments, Sakura slowed down, eyes fixated blankly ahead, and mustered up her strength. "What is it?"

Tsunade didn't dare look her in the eye. "They say Naruto's health is deteriorating."

Sakura's heart dropped to the bottom of the ice-cold sea. "I see." She held her head up proud. "How?"

"It's a conclusion some have reached; he's lost weight, which would be understandable, but even Kiba reported a strange instance, when Naruto himself admitted to not feeling well or something of similarly troubling assortment. We've got confused bits and pieces from many different witnesses who're appearing like vultures around carcass, drawn to the smell of fame and gossip."

"What do you think about it?"

"It's a hoax."

And it was an immediate reply. Sakura wasn't sure whether Tsunade wanted to believe it this much, the idea of losing her wayward son returned to her far too appalling and blood-chilling, or she did, indeed, firmly believe it herself. At either regard, there was no place for arguments and Sakura accepted the answer at face value, trudging along the woman in obsolete, cobwebbed silence.

Simultaneously their feet stopped over the threshold, entering the warm and renowned Hokage tower, where they turned left and right their heads and eyes, greeting those many radiant smiles directed at their directions, and the familiar scent of ignorance in the air. He was at his office, they got told, and the ANBU mask safely docile and doll-like seemed to carry a portion of some inert fear its owner bore; the guard stepped aside, bowing to the ex-Hokage and the Hokage's close friend, and curtly, both women returned the gesture, Tsunade with practiced stiffness and Sakura with forced pleasantry. Then they stepped inside.

Sakura's face dropped.

It was a memory she'd never forget, it was what she'd never hoped to see and been forced to witness for herself, and yes, Naruto was seated at his desk, diligent, hard-working and focused, and she'd hoped to see this day arrive yesterday and the day before yesterday, yet as the wrongdoings and sufferings of the past flashed before her eyes, before she knew it, she was thinking-

_I wish Sasuke were here._

Stirred from his thoughts, Naruto looked up; Sakura tensed, that daunting thought written all over her face.

He did not appear to notice. Worn out but obviously happy, he flashed them both a smile and put his pen aside. "Baa-chan, Sakura-chan."

"Baa-chan" scoffed. "You look well."

Sakura looked at her from the corner of her eyes; it was a most inconspicuous way to address the elephant in the room, and far too inconspicuous for Naruto to pick up on, for he grinned and leaned back, his taut body emanating a strange green glow.

She blinked.

Naruto looked at her strangely, before dismissing any thought. "Yeah. I feel great."

"Oh?" Tsunade looked curious.

"Yeah." He lay his head down on the table, stretched the hands outwards like a child, fingers dangling over the edge of the desk.

"I hear you and Iruka have been spending a lot of time together."

"That's right. Oh! Sakura-cha~n." A sly fox he resembled, eyes directed at the documents Sakura had long ago forgotten about; a seed of joy flooded her insides for a second, a true smile of gratitude on her face.

"Yes. You doubled the budget. Now we'll be able to afford more."

"Tripled the budget for the science department as well," he added, coy.

Sakura laughed. "I saw." She closed the door, shuffled towards him, Tsunade standing behind. "You're doing well, Naruto, and working really hard. It's fantastic to see you've recovered this much."

"Ah, what can I say? A good mental slap is sometimes all a guy needs."

"Now that-"-she said, a playful jab on the tip of her tongue,-"is something I won't argue about." Shrewdly she eyed him, eyes twirling with jest, which Naruto gladly reciprocated-

-and the moment would have lasted for much longer, hadn't Tsunade interrupted their preference for ignorance.

Prowling towards them like a feline, hands crossed over her chest and a peculiar hardness in her eyes, she surveyed them both, beckoning Naruto to sit properly and Sakura to drop that act of little miss perfect.

"Naruto, I didn't come here for a chat. There's something we must discuss."

Naruto's eyes narrowed, peering up at her with calculated coolness. "The meeting, right?"

"You know of it?"

"It's only been the box office hit with our greatest gossipers. _Of course_ I'd know, baa-chan. I'm not daft."

Tsunade frowned, insulted. "I wasn't saying that." Naruto didn't protest. She continued. "Are you ready for it?"

Naruto frowned, leaned back, each action executed without a whiff of abundance. "Hmm, I suppose I'm meant to say yes, but I'm not sure myself. I know it can't be avoided and has been postponed only for some stupid, unfathomable reasons which I can't understand…"

Tsunade's face went pale. With increasing discomfort, Sakura, in complete silence, watched the exchange.

Ignorant as per usual to anything that didn't appease him, Naruto scoffed. "Not that I have a choice, do I? I mean, I'm not going to give up the title. It's not even about the title, it's less than a pride, and it's not nearly as power-hungry as it appears; I just don't want to. No-one's going to take my dream away and while I know I must be held responsible for my mistakes, I'll do my best to remain the Hokage."

Being a formidable conversational foe, Tsunade seemed to scrutinize Naruto's wording and choice of words, before coming to a conclusion not as startling as some would assume-"That's not being comforted, that's a delusion, Naruto, and I won't fall for that measly trick you didn't even try to perfect. For my sake, however, don't even try."-after all, she'd not lived fifty years in vain and blindness, blinkered by her own power and heritage; Sakura, more than anyone else, knew where the woman's strong will, tough, firecracker attitude and pride stemmed from; it was unpleasant, but Naruto's fabricated resolve wasn't enough to put out her fire.

Like a torch, she burned.

They leveled each other a long, hard stare, Sakura being the unwilling witness to this match of wills, and she found herself actually – surprisingly enough this time – cheering _Tsunade_ on, not the leader whom she admired. Even long minutes later, not a word had penetrated this heavy, corporeal silence that like a brick wall had been erected between them, and after that while Sakura let her worries mar her features, knowing very well – at this age, she was strong, experienced enough to handle two stubborn mules.

With focus and determination, she stopped forward right between, obscuring their line of view on each other. "Naruto, shishou, please, cut it out. This isn't time for arguments or petty tiffs. I understand your reasons, shishou, just as I understand yours, Naruto, but you both must realize you won't get anywhere with simply fighting each other like on a battlefield. Remember, we're comrades here, and our comradeship matters more than anyone's need for self-preservation."

Naruto's finger twitched – as did Tsunade's brow.

They stared her down, maybe waiting for her knees to buckle underneath her weight – they didn't.

She'd not lied. She _was_ strong enough for this.

Like a badly arranged bouquet the vice of these two present mules fell apart and both Naruto and Tsunade visibly relaxed, the air of animosity they'd intended to breed snuffed out.

Sakura sighed. "It's not necessary, you know."

"Sakura," spoke Tsunade, leveling her an exasperated look. "Alright. Point. But I insist; this matter should not be taken lightly, Naruto. No-one's pressing charges against you and you do have many people on your side, yet you'll be judged for every word and reaction. You must choose carefully, lest even those whose hands hold you up will falter along with you."

Sakura watched as Naruto's features contorted into worry; probably, she thought, the first genuine expression she'd seen him make in ages.

"I get it," he said, soft-spoken all of the sudden, shy to share his opinions. "I know of that, baa-chan, maybe too well…"

"Do you." It wasn't doubting him, wasn't questioning him – rather, filling this silence.

Naruto nodded, tapping his fingers against the desk top. "They're going to use Sasuke against me, and if I deny him my friend, they will claim that any friend approached with such disregard for life puts all citizens of Konoha in danger. On the other hand, should I admit I'd considered him my dearest person once, either they will latch on the past tense, point first, or claim I am still in allegiance with him and pose a danger to Konoha. I _know,_ baa-chan. I know, Tsunade." For once, he looked tired and young, like these robes and hat and the office he sat in, the chair propped up on and the city laid behind his back did not suit him. "They are wolves in sheep's clothing. Or I am the lamp going in the lion's den. The worst thing is, there is no way out of it; refusing to attend the meeting to revolve solely around my affairs with Sasuke would be admitting I don't deserve this title." Heavily, air clattering against his ribcage, he sighed.

"I wish I didn't have to go. But the trials of a Hokage include even this."

Sakura didn't need to look at Tsunade; she knew, from the way the air around them sizzled with anger and horror, that the woman had heard that which she'd feared and actually wished to hear the entire time, and now aware of this vulnerability Naruto had presented to them, all present could only indulge a overly paranoid part of their minds in games of shadows and losing life.

Her whole being sad, Sakura fixated her eyes in false hope at Naruto's hands.

_It has come to this at last._

Tap. Tap. Tap. Naruto's fingers continued to tap against the cool surface of the desk; even if he'd touched it with his warmth, the sensation was temporary; Sakura was certain that again it had turned ice cold, not succumbing even to the light streaming inside. Again, almost mesmerized but willingly so, she watched the fingers tap, tap, tap-

-watched them stall.

There was something wrong about that hand and how it had stopped; the fingers were bent awkwardly, curled, hovered a little above the desk, motionless for reasons unknown. Idly and from the corner of her eyes, Sakura looked at her own relaxed hand, and she saw the marginal difference, the digits of hers which, in a relaxed posture, weren't awkwardly turned in, bent only slightly with healthy pink skin covering them. Confusion gnawing on her mind, her eyes landed back on Naruto's hand, watching it with growing, crippling, heaving question, something about the hand and the way the milky skin reflected way – unsettling her.

Just unsettling her.

Ah… Milky skin?

The posture… Her eyes widened. She understood.

He was tense, this man and a shining example of human, he was retracting all muscles and withholding something from the women in his presence, but it was unfortunate for him, dearly so, that Sakura had seen this on far too many occasions before; after all, it only came as an enterprise, the bonus and side effect of her profession.

Men swallowed up entirely by their pride often professed this moment of stubbornness, not too keen on sharing with the world – the grave suffering and vexing, intoxicating pain rocking through each cell in them. Often, these men would stiffen, their eyes to widen, lips parched, and hands to remain in that semi-convulsed, terse state.

Sakura's heart beat thousand miles per second. She looked up, looked into Naruto's eyes, searching for something there, and saw it-the stiffened gaze, the dilated pupils and clenched features.

Almost, she gasped. "Naruto, you're in pain."

Recognition flickered in his blues. He met her gaze, maybe stunned or bewildered, and on instinct clenched his hands.

Sympathy laced Sakura's face. "Naruto…"

"It's nothing." Brisk, his reply.

Tsunade caught on. "Pain? What are the symptoms? Where does it hurt?"

"Nowhere."

"Naruto-"

"Headache." He leaned forward. "Splitting headache."

"It can't be just headache," pushed Sakura, voice urgent. "It's like your whole body is in a spasm."

Frown touched his lips. "I'm just tired. These past days have not shown mercy on me."

The memory of Tsunade's haunting words flooded Sakura's mind; dainty smile on her lips, she stepped towards him as if to a wounded animal. "Naruto… Is it true then? Is it true?"

Next to her, she sensed Tsunade's rising panic, but her own love for this male got the best of her. "The rumor your health is deteriorating."

He didn't pale, didn't seemingly react, eyes cast downwards in shame and humbly, and while that should have been enough to persuade Sakura of the truth, it filled her with a sense of foreboding and regret.

Naruto's words came a bit later, gentle, whispery and as light as feather, but their touch would bring nothing less and nothing more than pain and misery to their minds, cared not for. "I am not… feeling well these days…"

"How not well… How?" Was it Tsunade or Sakura that had asked? Neither knew.

Eyes focused on Naruto saw nothing and no-one else, and the care with which he addressed this problem reeked of fear as well, something so subtly integrated into his personality it may have been just wishful thinking on their apart, and the tell tale having, in this bitter reality, nothing to share.

"Sick… Strange… Dizzy vision, squeamish, heavy." He looked away. Averted his eyes. A sign of – I want to go. I want to leave. If the heaviness he felt was a disease, Sakura had contracted it as well. Judging by Tsunade's face, she had not stood a slightest chance herself.

It spread beadily and greedily, its touch an immediate stop to thoughts and existence.

"It's exhaustion, I know. I _know_."

They _didn't_ know. What to say?

He was like a fragile flower placed behind a shiny glassy casket and they could all but observe the spread of decay. His fault only, for the lock was on the inside and the person to hold the key as well, the golden metal object hanging around his neck like a makeshift glorified noose.

Naruto looked back at them, face impassive. "It's nothing important. Don't bother yourselves with it. I know it's the exhaustion. After all, I'd barely slept and eaten before. And at either regard, I have handled worse."

There was no arguing this creature.

As he stood to his feet, the world stood along with him.

He could make their heads spin, make the earth turn around its axis, make the sun rise one hour early.

He could change the course of water, could be the torrent and the harbinger of death and life as well.

His posture so strong would not waver underneath their whimsically worried stare.

It would not seek its deceptively protective hold.

For that, he was too defiant.

Sakura's lower lip trembled. Seeking help, she turned to Tsunade-whose pained face shook in a merciless no.

Helpless, they could only look back at him, mesmerized by his way of life.

Naruto would only turn to scan the layout of Konoha with a touch of reminiscence and the flow of the whole world focused on his sole existence.

Nothing. Else.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

They had gathered around like fools, their expectations as high and almighty as their pathetic need to preserve something like a convention. It was the convention that had lay their astray feet towards this place, where dispassionate coitus of one man was to transpire; a paramour of travesty, the blasphemy of their so-called courage. The most irrational and strangest of things about their gathering was that similarly they viewed each other; vultures they all were, and Naruto's carcass had not even gone cold. Like hawks they observed each other, preys to own stupidity.

Naruto, of course, working with that, had all the right in the world to downright fear the dining, blood-bathed beasts of men, and Shikamaru who stood by his side, had all the right in the world to place a hand on his shoulder and squeeze it, eyes the story of one compassionate and feeling man on the verge of acting a human shield.

He nodded.

Threw the door open and marched inside.

They all looked up.

Late afternoon had the largest meeting rooms in the Hokage tower fully occupied, only one seat left vacant for the special guest of honor. Walls had lined up with the curious and nervous, some meeting his eyes, some looking away, some, perhaps, too drunk on own life opinions to try.

At the table, there really was just one empty place. Naruto ignored everyone's eyes on him and walked forward, sitting on the pillow instead of just simple ground, and that was their way of honoring his title and deeds. That was also the temporary sanctuary for him alone.

Shikamaru stopped to stand on his right behind his back, sitting down with legs folded underneath, face a void.

The door closed, no-one else entered.

Naruto refrained from sighing. The entire rookie nine was here, all of the teachers and familiar faces from past and present time, all to unwittingly bear witness to either his fall or rise to immortality. In reality, Naruto would have rather taken a nap, but the Elder right in front of him wouldn't let him rest for one moment, and for a while he felt self-conscious.

_Are you going to have my head then, eh?_

Smirking inwardly at the prospect of becoming the martyr of these times, Naruto placed a hand on the table. "Let the meeting begin."

The old lady which he'd become acquainted with ages ago stood briskly to her feet, strict and far stronger than her age betrayed; with watchful eyes, Naruto followed her every move, knowing already she was to strike first. Then, he thought, by a stroke of misfortune, others would surely follow.

Bracing himself for the upcoming attack and an onslaught of accusations, Naruto straightened his back, the fire he usually felt wisely held back, and he nodded.

She didn't need more. "It is to my utter dismay that I must start this meeting, Hokage-sama, and it is my greatest displease to be the bearer of terrible news; it is, however, the thought of deterring a possible disaster that's left to hover above our heads that gives me the belief we have not gathered here for a witch's trial, rather – to punish a law-breaker." Her eyes made of steel were met with resistance; Naruto lowered his head, expression overtaken by seriousness few of the present had seen in their lives.

"Hokage-sama, on the behalf of the Country of Fire, I demand answers. I demand you answer to your deeds and explain to us-"-her voice dropped to a dangerous level, but Naruto wasn't blind; years of spending night and day by Sasuke's side had taught him to pick up on every, even the smallest of changes in the language of others; right now, this woman was worse than angry. She was infatuated with her own panic.

Possibly, not even over sixty years of life had made her immune to discoveries that went well beyond her level of understanding.

Naruto's features softened.

She pursed her lips into a thin line. "What is your relationship with Uchiha Sasuke?"

Memories flushed away any intentions for normalcy. Naruto wondered if she could have asked for a more difficult answer, but there was no time for thinking. Time, he knew, was ticking by, each second a second reduced from his remaining hour.

He wanted to smirk.

Sasuke's words from years ago resonated the strongest in his mind.

_Time is of the essence, the essence which is us, us which is the no more than a speck of dust; despite all, we can't help but wonder – what is there to do?_

Nice. Really nice. One of the few nice things Sasuke had ever said. Though not for the life of him could Naruto remember when Sasuke had said that… Never mind. Shaking himself from the waft of memory, he shifted closer, letting it be known – he was ready to answer.

"My relationship with Sasuke is-"

"Of our concern, you are aware."

"-why, yes, I am. He is-"

"Still is?"

"-was-"

"Changing your mind so quickly, Hokage-sama?"

Naruto's eyes darkened. "Shut the hell up and listen, or I put my foot down your throat."

She paled significantly and a disturbed murmur went through the present.

"I see, so this is how you treat your fellow man."

"No, this is how I treat those that dare touch me. This is one of the various ways how I'll welcome Sasuke next time we meet. _Elder_." His tone calmed. "If you want to get answers, I will give them to you, but attacking me constantly will only warrant a warning. I am your Hokage. And I am not stupid. I understand too well where you're going with all these small questions. Funny." A smirk curled his lips. "It's only the start but you don't even care about hiding your intentions from me."

She narrowed her eyes.

But hers were nothing in comparison to Sasuke's. None were closer.

Naruto settled back, heaved out a small sigh, far from tired, far from energized; she was sucking the life out of him – and at this wrong moment, he thought of Sasuke again and how his teachings had involved even this; deceit and lies and how to never become their slave. "Elder, if you intend to detain me, do it now and we'll just stop this farce, but you will NOT dehumanize me in front of _my_ people. You will not strip me of my dignity here in front of those that have stood by. And I will not let them down by idiotically groveling at your feet."

He heard the murmur again, but this time there was a pendulum of pride swinging to and fro right above their hands, and both sides depicted the same swelling warmth they professed in their eyes.

Elder narrowed her eyes at him, recalling some vague scenes from the past when she'd stood still and her voice had been heard, and he knew she wouldn't back down easily, because he was the lamb in her den – and she intended to take a chunk of him in the event of going down.

After a while, her crisp, coarse voice broke through again. "My wish is to discover the truth. How is it possible, Hokage-sama, that you never saw through his act? Or maybe, would you have us believe, that none of that was act? Do you even know if that man bore any semblance of a feeling towards you? Or was even that concept forged by him?"

He gritted his teeth. People were watching. Watching even his facial expressions. _Che._

"Whether Sasuke felt anything at all shouldn't be the concern of this meeting. But fine. As you wish. Did he have any feelings at all? I suppose since he tried to slit my throat, we know at least of one; _hatred_." The signature Uchiha sensation. Foreboding.

"You didn't answer my question, Hokage-sama. _Do you believe it_?"

_What I believe now no longer matters._

"No."

"Are you for certain?"

"Yes."

"Your resolve will not falter then."

"Not one bit."

She was silenced for now and it was his moment to shine.

The toughest of moments was to admit you'd made an erroneous action. It was a blow to pride.

And pride, for strange reasons, was right next to the heart.

He swallowed hard.

"Sasuke and I shared a bond. I can say – or so I'd thought. I'm not going to. Given the current circumstances, that would be redundant. What we shared was the sack of lies he'd spoon-fed me. There are no words that could pardon my actions, no words to change that or excuse my actions. Which is why I'd not prepared anything. Only actions."

"What actions have you in store for us, young Hokage-sama?"

This time, they looked at him properly.

Naruto knew what to do. He did. He did. He… Did. And he also knew it was right. Justified. Perfectly so. Like no other deed so far.

All he had left to do – was say it.

"Announce Uchiha Sasuke a missing nin. He is to be killed on sight. For the betrayal of Konoha, I will personally hunt him down if that's the last thing to do. Not as an act of revenge, but justice."

And there. Done. Perfect. Be relieved. Like they were. She, certainly, was; she had this look of utmost satisfaction on her features he'd never seen before, like Christmas had come early and Naruto knew he'd wrapped himself in gold-sewn ribbon and offered himself to her as that best present she could ever get; his words were the promise he couldn't break, which he didn't intend to break, and their looks were those of the people that they had their shoulders freed, theirs were the looks of somberness and electrifying regret and pity for the leader, theirs were the-

-Naruto's mind stopped.

Rewind that?

Sakura and Hinata. Neji as well. The Hyuuga clan on a whole. Kakashi, Yamato, and Lee, Kiba, too. And Shikamaru. Even Sai. And so many others.

Were composing tragedies for him with their eyes, each pair bearing the same insignia of deep-most regret, and Naruto did not understand.

Before he could dwell on that thought, the Elder spoke, sounding satisfied, but still unrelenting in her prying. "You say that now, leader, but who's to say the mere sound of him won't break your resolve? Who's to promise us that? You have not answered one of my questions. You may be inclined to believe your private matters are yours alone, yet you would be alone to do so. After all, _you_ serve this country, not the other way around."

He gritted his teeth, a mild grimace of unhappiness contorting his features.

_What do you want to hear, you old hag?_

The other Elder rose to his feet, small and slouching in comparison to her willowy and wrangled figure, but just as influential, a deceitful grandfather figure.

"Hokage-sama. You're evading the most important of matters. We have acknowledged already that as a man, you are the prime example of drive and it is not that which we doubt, for there is doubt. We, Hokage-sama, doubt your heart."

_Heart?_

The old fool smiled in a wrinkled, sinewy way. "There's no need to lie to us, Hokage-sama, there's no need to lie to yourself. We know your feelings for the Uchiha are hardly even remotely close to hate. We _know _you love him."

Shikamaru put a steady hand on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto didn't understand why, everything was fine. Just, just fine.

Just his hand had twitched. Just the fingers had. Once. Once. A small twitch gone by unnoticed.

_There are now._

He said.

No-one reacted. Oh, what, fools? Persuaded at last?

… Odd. No-one was saying a thing, expecting anything… Naruto blinked.

He had… not actually said it out loud. Oh… Ah, weird details, things and the inappropriate shenanigans of his mind.

He set his lips into one straight line. "I don't."

The elder quirked an eyebrow at him. Behind Naruto's back, a wall of disappearing sun rays was created. "Do you hate him then?"

Naruto opened his mouth to speak-noticed from the corner of his eyes a movement and his eyes immediately landed on that familial figure of Kiba, strangely shaking his head in a no.

He gaped.

_No…? Why no?_

"Do you or do you not, Hokage-sama?"

_Why no? Why no? _

Next to him-Kakashi doing the same-

-and next to Kakashi, Yamato making a face, sullen-

-next to him, Sakura begging him to disagree, Sai, so wrongly vivacious in his subtle dismay-

_Is this a trap or something? I say yes and they scream 'gotcha'?_

"Hokage-sama, answers now or your silence will do that for us."

_Why-why should I say no? Why should I say no? Why?_

Freaked, he looked at the bearded, bald old man-whose eyes widened as he saw something Naruto had yet to take notice of, and he-

-couldn't shake of the confusion, the bewilderment to note-

_Why are you asking me to say no? Why? Why?_

Muddled, his thoughts.

_Why now after all I've done? –I don't… understand._

He screwed his eyes shut; if they'd had something to say, a trap to warn him about beforehand, they should have sought him out when the time had still worked in their favor. Now it was late.

So ignoring their warnings, Naruto blinkered himself on sheer, gut-wrenching purpose, eyes focused solely on the two inquisitors before him that did not negotiate, and he replied-

"Yes."

_Yes._

"Yes what, Hokage-sama?"

"Yes-"

"_Elders!"_ Tsunade rose to her feet. "What is the meaning of this? We're not here to butt into Hokage-sama's private matters and no matter what you claim, some wounds should not be re-opened."

The female Elder slammed her hands down against the table. "It is the very existence of the wounds that begs for these inquiries! Look how deep the mighty had fallen! Look how _deep _our leader has stooped for _one_ person! If he is to lead this nation those wounds must not be left alone but catered to."

Tsunade roared with uproar. "Is this your way of mending wounds then? I've been a medic nin almost my whole life and this thing you're doing right now is forcefully removing the stitches."

Elder scoffed. "Typical of you to stand up for him."

Tsunade didn't hide her fury. Before she had a chance to speak-

"I agree with Tsunade-sama; Elder, what is the purpose of all these questions? We're not interrogating Hokage-sama, at least _I _was not aware of that. Had I been notified of this, I would not have brought the entire clan along. This is travesty."-another jounin angrily remarked, cheeks riddled with patches of red as emotions invaded his rational thought.

And more agreed, their heads almost falling off as they shook them so vigorously, leaving both Elders dumbfounded and Naruto-

"Stop it. Everyone calm down."

All heads snapped to him, the scarlet shades of anger disappearing from their faces.

Naruto looked at them-they were horrified, horrified-

-he growled.

_Why are you all looking at me like that?_

The Elder took advantage of this shocked silence, abruptly rising upwards like a predator about to pounce. "We have the right to know. We have the right. All of us. A few days of convalescence cannot possibly erase the past mistakes."

"I did my job properly as the Hokage," protested Naruto.

She scoffed. "How properly? What is properly? What guarantee do we have that nothing was sullied by the man's touch? What assurance do we have the Uchiha did not mend your mind to his will whenever he so desired? What? Tell us. TELL US!" She shrieked.

Someone… Someone did as well. Naruto couldn't hear well, couldn't exactly-

-jarred. His thoughts so jarred. He'd arrived to this place with the intention to preserve all he thought he'd left, but she was breaking all into pieces and shoveling those away and it didn't make sense-

-_what the hell do you want from me what in the holy fuc-_

Shake. Shake. Tap. Tap. Thump. Next to him – a shuffle, a rekindled gasp-

"What do you want me to say, Elder? What are you even saying? I'd told you before-"-wary, wary, wary, unprepared for this-nothing in the world could have prepared him for these attacks on his heart-nononono mind. Yes, the mind. Mind. The pride.

"No, Hokage-sama. YOU did not say a word," she croaked out, holding herself proud and strong, standing her ground-

_-I want to wring your neck so hard at the moment-_

-the seal-

-wasn't reacting…

_How is that-?_

"It was the Uchiha in you speaking the whole time."

Baffled, Naruto leaned back-toppling over backwards falling into a pit disintegrating-he waved that off. "Sasuke… Is not here. He betrayed us. For that, he will be punished. By my hand, nonetheless. I'd promised you that-"

"Can you swear? Can you swear an oath that it will be your hand to end that wretched man's life?"

_Wretched._

The air in the room grew impossible to breathe. Someone coughed. Kakashi stood up next. "Elder, you're speaking nonsense. Hokage-sama had not mistaken. It was not an error to love and need someone."

"An error that put everyone's life at stake is not an error, Hatake-dono? Your father would be disappointed."

Probably, a spasm went through his face-no-one could tell, not with his mask-"My father would not have consented to this lynching, this abysmal mistreatment of your own leader. You're wronging Hokage-sama. You're not founding your accusations on anything, just assumptions. Your very goal here is to discredit this man. _I _will not permit it." A vicious, strongly emphasized slur of words. "No-one here will."

Nods. More nods. Agreeing.

Naruto looked all around.

What ARE you fools agreeing to… What is-he looked at Shikamaru and Shikamaru looked placated, calmed, mellowed, all those things Naruto wasn't, and obviously he was glad for the turn of recent events, glad for this unprecedented support shown-

-support, also, completely unnecessary.

Naruto put his hand down on the table-

-his eyes, for a split second, focused on his fingers, all other shapes blurred, and he noticed the unnatural paleness of those fingers and the tremors rocking through them, those which the two women present had before chastised and pointed out with erratic worry in their voices mingled with suspicion and which he'd ignored, which he-

"Kakashi-sensei, please, sit down. Could everybody just-"-ignored again.

He gathered himself to his feet-

-wobbled-

-staggered-

-Shikamaru caught him-

-Naruto _shoved_ him away.

_Don't touch me don't touch me don't touch only Sas-_

-a sharp intake of breath.

"Naruto, what is-"

_I don't know. What are you people doing?_

He had to sit down and wary eyes watched him-

A skip. And a beat.

Shake.

The Elder calmed down. Considerably. Quite a lot. Seeing all those hands willing to be sacrificed for his sake, she saw no other reason in fight, submerging herself in thoughts-

"I want you to know. Hokage… sama."

Their eyes met.

"What you two did is a sin."

And-

"A sin against humanity."

Sin.

SIN.

"_It's a sin, a sin you two have-that. Disgusting-I am disgusted. Horrified, even-shocked in-god, so many ways. Shocked, stunned-you… You… Naruto-kun. You'd tried to get my hopes up. See something that is not. Believe in that… far-fetched… tale… of love between you and that man stuck in prison for-for what? Don't… Don't. You disgust me. You make me want to throw up. Your words are vomit. You… YOU… are… YOU. Are sin. Nothing less… Nothing less than that. Nothing… Less, nothing more, nothing else. Just sin."_

Si…lence.

"… Na-… Naruto?"

"… Elder, that was… that was too-"

_Sasuke._

Behind Elder.

Behind her grotesque figure, behind the mannequin of an unfeeling rock.

_Sasuke._

Naruto. Remembered.

He.

Recalled.

"_Time is of the essence."_

"_And you are a fool, Naruto, as per usual."_

"_Why now?"_

"_Using words you don't understand…"_

"_I understand this one. Definitely. Time IS of the essence… It means it's important."_

_Scoff. Smile. "Right… It is of essence to us, isn't it?"_

"_Both of us." Grip. On his arm._

"_I will not."_

"_Why?"_

"_I refuse."_

"_Sasuke-"_

"_**No."**_

_A look. "I will never marry and father children."_

"_Sasuke-"_

_Closed his eyes. "Time is of the essence, the essence which is us, us which is the no more than a speck of dust; despite all, we can't help but wonder – what is there to do?" Chanted._

_Naruto stared._

_Pondered-_

"_One day… I want to have children. I want to be the father I never had but…"_

"_Do you wonder now?"_

_Pressed closer._

_Naruto closed his eyes-"What is there to do for us? For us, now that we're here, the way we are now?"_

_And strong arms embraced him. Voice echoed around – reeking, embodying the pure, unknown, unadulterated – love. "We'll just stay together this way-forever… Ever. No matter what anyone says… Naruto…"_

He blinked-

Sasuke was a fainted copy of the real-and he still struck him like… Like he'd walked in. On them. Doing this, forcing this-down his throat, PRYING… him apart… layering their findings on top of each other in disorderly state and disorganized order, not caring, not catering-

He smiled. In a way he'd smiled only around Naruto. And opened the door and walked outside.

And he was gone.

Gone.

Gone.

Naruto was on his feet, the soft pillow growing cold when met with the nights to only get colder, and Naruto saw himself standing in the middle of the room which wasn't paying attention, wasn't-

"You can't blame Naruto for needing Sasuke so much. No-one here can blame Naruto for being just a human. He is, after all, despite all the things that set him apart from the rest of us, not an exception to rules of love. You can't choose who you fall in love with. Who you will love until the day you die." Kakashi.

Fall in love.

Naruto blinked-

-the world around like a carbon box crumbled away, walls shoved aside and people disappearing into the nothingness of his most literally black mind.

And in the blackness that encompassed him, he saw two slits heavily form like a veil had been removed from them-

"_**Naruto, run."**_

The fox's growl came as a surprise.

The slit pupils looked above.

Naruto couldn't look-he felt his heart sink, he felt even the reassurance he'd had once betray him, but compelled by the human weakness for the macabre and revolting, he directed his gaze above-

-to see his seal dripping with blood.

Widen into saucers-

"**NARUTO YOU FOOL STOP IT."**

Rooted to the spot, he watched the Fox be hurled away-

"**YOU ARE DESTROYING YOURSELF."**

-and colors returned to the world, melting in with the various shapes to coherently form surroundings of the meeting room and the people that had oddly quieted down, that had ceased their hindering, incessant yells and arguments of what was right and wrong-

Naruto felt something wet on his face.

And fingers.

Fingers… the fingernails.

Kyuubi's sinister yell echoed in his eardrums like the serenade sung too loud, too bold, too brash, too everything wrong.

Along with everyone else, even that echo eternally forsaken disappeared, sounds dissipating like a curse and mist that would have fogged his mind forever-

_I feel it come._

Too late.

He opened his mouth-coughed. Once. Twice. Doubled over-coughed blood. On his chest, in his chest, wrapped around his insides – anguish.

Love.

Is. A-

-THUD-heart.

It stopped.

Naruto saw red – something slithering under his skin like a snake, drawn underneath his clothing and bulging out, the air around him warping, a vacuum of emotion and a place desolate created- and the world became blood.

He threw his head back-

Screamed.

And the world exploded in red and white.

Sound disappeared. From his body blades of chakra sprouted, grown like the beautiful numerous pairs of wings that lashed about, dragging meat along and whipping blood around.

He screamed.

And it curled the world. It curled his mind. It curled everything he knew. Blood-curling, fear-inducing and the world this vast had not known a more terrifying thing than this, than that-

THUD-

-shattered knees hit the ground, turned to dust.

Fingers twisting back-break.

Snap.

_Snap._

_**Snap.**_

CRUNCH.

All broken.

Blood boiled out from him from the eyes and the ears and there wasn't enough of holes-it made them, grated itself through his singed skin since the chakra spat out like saliva was drenched in blood and became one with it.

He broke his arms doing nothing, broke his bones doing nothing, broke his lungs – doing nothing but screaming, all around blurring and quaking from the force of his one anguish.

Thrown forward into an agonized, fatal stance, flesh ripped off in places-missing chucks in lavish, saggy, jagged ways.

Tendon by tendon, all snapping, amounting to the whole feeling – of –

Of.

THUD.

And at one point, he felt.

Nothing-

-purged, cleansed, purified all that had ever piled itself on top of the shelf of his mind. All but.

The questioning, dainty, plaint, plaited, pitiful… pure despair. And fear. Combined.

_Sasuke…_

… _Sasuke. _

… _Sasuke…. Sasuke… Sasuke… Sasuke… Sasuke._

_Sasuke._

_SASUKE!_

"He's torn between two things; his duty and his love, and now he realizes – he can't do both at once."

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, but the story idea is mine alone.

**A/N:** Thank you guys for the reviews ; ) Of course, don't ever stop reviewing, because if you stop, I'll stop posting this, haha! Okay, nono, this isn't blackmail, more like – input is necessary for me; without it, I won't know if there's any point in writing this : \ I welcome reviews, love reviews, so x) Don't be shy. Or lazy… Actually, don't be lazy and review! x) And those that do review – you have my eternal gratitude ((:

Now, anyway, I started working on another story called _**Convalescence**_, which you're totally welcome to check out! Shameless self-promotion go! xD A Convalescence update should be coming tomorrow and I am tremendously looking forward to writing both stories and getting them done x))

As for this chapter, what can I say? I do believe this classifies as a cliffhanger, doesn't it? Ah, it certainly does… Well. Let me be laconic for once.

_In next chapter, death has washed over, but life isn't ready yet to ultimately perish; more flashbacks occur and light is shed on some facts and, finally, Kyuubi speaks._

**Rating:** PG-13 for themes, blood, swearwords, and **sexual undertones.**

Thanks for reading. Remember to R&R! x)

If you have any questions, add them in a review or message me personally :)


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter_Thirteen

"_What we saw… What we saw… Cannot be unseen… At night. I tried to close my eyes. I almost wound up gouging them out; my wife caught my hands, begged me to stop. She pleaded to me, and I couldn't listen. At the very last moment, I realized I was crying. She didn't understand. What I saw… What I saw… Ripped inside out, flayed by own power… The very thought of that even now makes me want to curl up and die."_

_I l__**o**__ve_

"OH GOD."

"Oh god god god what is-"

"GET… THE… medic-nin-"

"Naruto-for…"

"…Hokage-sama, Ho-"

"HE'S LIVING, HE'S BREATHING, HE'S STILL ALIVE."

"Shit-shit he's still-MEDIC NIN."

"Chakra, we need chakra, we need restoration pills and-just come here COME HERE-it's _just… his blood._"

"Everyone, dispatch a team immediately to the hospital or-"

"No, we can't move him, he will-"

"-will do it here-"

"Tsunade-sama, please, snap out of it!"

"TSUNADE-SAMA."

"Build the seals, write them NOW act quick-"

"If we, if we-"

"I had not intended for this to happen, for this-"

"LATER. Shut up now-"

"Wait-he is… Looking at us."

"… oh gods…"

"Just… Just look at him… Mangled like this… _How can he be alive?"_

"Oh god, Naruto…"

"Naruto… _What have you done to yourself?_"

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

_They had proclaimed themselves vicious and dangerous, the adversaries formidable in a sense that wrought chaos and deserved the full attention of his blows._

_**Fools.**_

_But they had come close to one thing; taking the only real fool in the world from him._

_Shikamaru fretted, nervous and sweating – and smelly as well, the stench of his fear polluting the air._

_Maybe he'd slain them easily, a few swipes of his katana necessary for their quick demise, but he'd made it mercilessly quick in folly. In hindsight, he should have acted the title of the monster._

_Soulless, his eyes landed on the unconscious form of that thing called a man, and Shikamaru followed his gaze, questioning – ah, a genius of the conventional sort, no other brains required._

_Sasuke looked up and forced him to do the same, until their eyes met and the message was conveyed._

_Yet quick he was to reach conclusions, and Shikamaru did not look away as he'd expected, instead holding his gaze, the face underneath the many layers of mud and sweat clear like the desire to help Him._

_Amused by that tiny fact, Sasuke moved closer, his eyes two orbs made of darkness solidified. "Shikamaru, the idiot-"_

"_-almost died. Again. I know. But he'll be fine. The antidote was administered quickly enough and it's already taking effect… My estimates say he should wake up in a few days." _

"_When?"_

_Shikamaru looked pleadingly at Naruto's pale form._

"_Three days."_

"_Three days," echoed Sasuke. _

"_And three nights."_

"_Three nights…" Sasuke closed his eyes. _

_He left the room._

_Washed, dressed. Shikamaru prepared a beautiful little death-bed for their blond-haired companion who napped like a sleeping beauty in that room on the other side of the wall. A little past midnight, Sasuke re-entered it, found it empty – safe for that princess sleeping._

_Shikamaru had cleaned, prepared, sent in a report and only two hours at most had passed. That man had always born an uncanny resemblance to a fussy old hen. Not that Sasuke would know._

_Details._

_His torso twitched sidewards, right foot following that command, but his face- his face, well. That one wouldn't obey, remaining stuck in the same position – and the eyes too, emptily staring at Naruto's form._

_To think… the idiot had almost gotten himself killed when they BOTH knew he could have wiped the floor with their pathetic skills, could have beaten them without as much as batting an eyelash… Instead. He'd rushed in, acted on an instinct to preserve his pride first. First and foremost, there was that pride._

_Idly, his hand rested on the handle of his katana, the familiar texture comforting, easy to figure out unlike this miracle of someone meant to have died seventeen years ago; how Naruto had survived until now eluded him, and while a mystery it was, he would not debunk it, no, having no care for such things._

_And despite that… Sasuke did not move. His heart did not leap towards the other, did not seek contact. He, at that moment, felt nothing but compliant, cold resentment._

_And again – despite that, he walked forward and sat down by a window, back against the wall, a position of fake comfort._

_His eyes, whether he liked it or not, would not leave Naruto._

_There was nothing to see about it, nothing he'd not seen too often in the past three months. Nothing._

_Yet he could not look away, could not even if he tried._

_Because this wasn't meant to end this way, this wasn't meant to be a simple tale of one to fall because of own inability to realize his full potential. Should he feel special then? Special that Naruto had shown him everything – and him and only him, that he'd given him, Sasuke, the detestable man, everything there was; tears, blood, flesh, bone, power, strength, weakness… Emotions as well. Emotions… Those that crippled the blond._

_Sasuke's hold on the handle tightened._

_He wanted to move. Now he did. Move and leave. He couldn't. He continued, in utter, thick silence, to watch Naruto._

_And a moment later-_

"_Hey, Sa… Sasuke? You stayed here? By Naruto's side, ugh… The whole night? Ugh, damn, I'd fallen asleep. Well, how is he doing? Any better? Let me check on him-"_

_Checking. Commence. And then be gone as you always are._

_Shikamaru was shuffling around-"He's getting better. I've sent our report, informing them of Naruto's state; we can't obviously leave with him like this, which I've reported. We won't need any reinforcements, none at all, none at all…"Jumbled up speech. And-_

_None._

"… _Sasuke? … Ah, let's switch guards. If you stayed up the whole night, you need rest."_

_Nothing._

_Only-Sasuke's eyes moved to left, meeting Shikamaru's gaze._

_Shikamaru, for reasons unknown, backed away. "…Whatever. Stay here then."_

_Then, who knew, who knew… Sasuke, for once, did not._

_The mystery of his inability to leave baffled him. No dismay, however, was roused to existence by this fact, not as he'd have hoped for; there was no disgust, no anger, no… none of the usual stuff._

_Watching Naruto was disgusting on its own, but watching him like this was almost precious. Almost, just almost. He knew that once the fool awoke, he'd be quick to put himself in another danger again, yet another noble reason driving his suicidal tendencies. Chivalry, courage. They were nothing. Nothing. _

_And this nothing was going to get him killed._

_Who would he have left then? Would he forever remain in Konoha, bound by this seal the blond had not the power to speak of directly? Would he forever listen to their preaching, forever be their lapdog…? Forever alone? If so, driven by insanity, he'd betray and be killed by the seal, unless the death of this sun had that destroyed, but already Sasuke knew they'd done something far worse than anticipated, and the threads that connected them lingered in the air, invisible by far, but not untouchable. _

… _It would kill him, this bond. Should Naruto die… Or not? What WOULD happen then? Was it worth the shot, should he let him die? Maybe. Naruto… was… not… worth-_

_Sasuke would have scoffed. Instead, he let something akin to a smile curl his lips, yet on a face that had not known a touch of emotion in years the smile appeared as barren of life as the catacombs he'd inhabited with Orochimaru years back. _

_As barren, as empty, as abysmal and dreary as the darkness that resided in his eyes._

_He could not move from the spot. He, at that moment, felt no hunger, no thirst, no need to sleep. Something was keeping him awake, and Sasuke was starting to understand why._

_It would have been easy to blame the seal for it, yet there was only one thing to blame the seal for; their inability, their lack of an option – to hide the truth. Sasuke wanted to – but THAT he was denied outright and THAT, out of all those things in the world, left the most amused of smiles on his face._

_After all, knowing that he could not push back the pity he felt, the regret over losing Naruto and the bitter memories from their childhood could only either change him for good, or have him discard the few last spinning wheels of sanity he had. _

_But then what was keeping him rooted to the spot? If the seal had no power over there, what was it-_

_-Sasuke placed a hand over his heart, feeling the pleasant drumming of the beats. Thump… thump… thump…_

I can hate you this openly, this strongly because of what we did. I can't ever hide it, neither can you – that which we created being an obstacle to that. Whatever we do, as long as the other is concerned, hiding is not an option. In our case, there is no blanket to shield our own feelings from ourselves, no filter to allow us to look up, pretend it's not there. We can't pretend, we can never pretend. What we feel right now is hatred, Naruto, but the strangest of all, because as a master of that, as one too consumed by it, I can already tell it's transforming, and that – this fact I can't hide as well. If I knew you'd bring me misery, I'd kill you right now, but then… I'd need to move first. Maybe it's my mutiny, Naruto, maybe it's the fact – I can't hide my rage over losing you to some low-grade bandits…

But this is me willingly staying by your side, willing thinking this, opening my mind, because right now and for over a year, I've not been able to separate you from my mind; no matter what, I come back to you and realize – I can't stop. Because this, Naruto, is what the seal does…

It makes the reality far too an unpleasant and vivid experience for us both.

Hoping to… See a change._ Soon enough… Soon enough._

And you will never die by the hand of man who is not ME, Naruto… So_**wake up.**_

"_It's strange… What Naruto told me was what he knew. And what he didn't tell me – is what he still isn't aware of. Because I, for an instance, know that he was out for three days and the whole time Sasuke didn't leave his side. Not even once."_

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

She left the room, swaying, staggering out with difficulty, and she rushed towards her with her hands outstretched yet only to get pushed away. No words were exchanged, no glances, even, and the woman turned her back to the younger kin, shaking, pressed tightly against the wall.

Sakura did not know how to ask. Just that she had to.

"…Tsu-… Tsunade-s-sama…" Gulp; her throat constricted. Again. "Tsu-tsunade-sama… _Shishou_."

The tremors stopped. And she shook her head. Shook it. Shook it. Shook it. "N-no… No."

Sakura's world stood still. "I see…"

She couldn't… And… Then there was Tsunade's face and who knew what expression she was making-

-Tsunade gagged and doubled over, clutching her stomach. Sakura was hit by a flashback and froze, paralyzed.

The person to rush to help was-

"Sakura, _move it_."

Shikamaru held Tsunade around the waist, helping her to a nearby bench, where the contrast of light and shadow showed the green tint on her face and the hand tightly pressed to her mouth.

Sakura's knees were ready to hit the ground-

"He's going to be alright."

-instead, she stared at Shikamaru, his reply foreign.

Shikamaru glanced at her, face hardened and unreadable by some drugged miracle. "As… alright as someone can be after experiencing it. The… They'd applied seals and-"-maybe he paused, waiting for Sakura to fill in the breaks with her own medical input, but she couldn't and he shuffled to sit next to Tsunade instead, watching her in silence at first, before his resolve crumbled away and – eyes filled up with tears. Shaking, he reached inside his pocket, fumbling around for a cigarette and lighter, but the first one SNAPped between his fingers and the second was DROPped and he didn't even know what was going on, she suspected and more SNAPs-

-gathering some rationality, Sakura stepped over and held Shikamaru's hand. _Steady._

Their eyes met and some understanding was shared.

She helped him find his cigarette relief, helped him light it up and then sat on the bench as well, her disorderly state better than Tsunade's only because she'd not-been strong enough to go inside. Tsunade, however…

Spicy and strangling smoke entered the air. _Right, it's not allowed to smoke in here…_

_What… ever._

It stung her eyes. The least she could do was pretend the thick tendrils were the cause behind their swelling. Pleading, she looked at Shikamaru.

He was pale. And white. But nonetheless-"Kyuubi is finally healing him… It… It."

"It took us ages to drag that bastard shit of a fox out."

Both looked at Tsunade, hearing the muffled words come out heavily like through a clogged, broken receiver, but she was speaking, the hand by minuscule fractions leaving her face.

"We'd never dealt with anything like that… Never. In my career I'd-it was…"

It _was._

She was remembering. Against their wishes – who, WHO in their right mind would say anything other than _against_? – Sakura and Shikamaru remembered as well.

His blood all around… His. Plunge to dea-_gods._

Tsunade took in a shuddering intake of breath. "I…"

"You were there days and nights," said Shikamaru, meek, small.

She nodded.

Sakura rippled with the force of penance-"I am-"

"No, there's no time for blame, I am-"

Sakura shook her head. "You don't blame yourself either, Tsunade-sama, no-one could have-"

"_No._" Tsunade interrupted her. By an inch she moved her head up, revealing the eyes that had seen the unseen – and realized what horrors hid in the human mind. "I am not capable of blame. There is no blame right now… Just this terrifying mistake I… How." A sob. Another. "How…" She coughed-cried out, leaned back, hot tears spilling down her cheek. "How could he survive through that? How-how can he be alive? How can he-how did he… Why does he have to suffer this much? Is it really our mistake? Did we error this much? Just how deep into this mess will our wrongdoings drag us, how far?"

No-one had the answer.

Frankly speaking, Sakura didn't want to know. Naruto had – a bitter swallow – been… ripped… inside out by his own chakra. In front of them… In front of everyone. _Like an animal about to be gutted._

Her stomach churned. "Why did it happen… Why… Before… I mean, we'd seen a similar thing – and it was another issue the council wanted to address; Naruto's health because – remember, Shikamaru? – we'd seen him cry blood before, that day when Hinata and-but this… THIS… How did it come to this? Did we wait too long, did we…?"

What was she expecting. What. Answers? Please. From a man as affected as the rest of them-

"There was no reason. Or there was little we witnessed." Shikamaru's voice drifted into the air, the usual drawl omitted, his words, for once, completely clear and a song to their ears. "Little we witnessed indeed… How is this possible – I'd asked myself the same the moment I'd regained my senses and that was only a few hours ago, when the Kyuubi had returned at last and started healing his wounds. After since then, I've been unable to think and think straight. Every other little concept escapes me and I can't rest. What… why. Why now. Both of those accidents we'd seen had two things in common – Sasuke."

"But Sasuke was absent on both occasions. The mere mention of him shouldn't have been enough to elicit such an atrocity." Tsunade's voice, hoarse from crying, resounded around. "Besides, he'd spent a week wallowing in memories of Sasuke; if just a memory of him is enough to get that reaction, how come he didn't even before-we'd _know._ Guards would have noticed." She blinked. "I'd posted them at his doors. They'd had strict orders never to leave his side during those days; he'd been guarded like our greatest treasure and there was nothing."

"True," came Shikamaru's lazy response. Onto the ground bellow he tipped off the residual ash gathered at the tip of his cigarette, and the cancer stick was placed nonchalantly between his lips, a long, lungful drag taken. "But he wasn't exactly a man with emotions at that time, know that? He was barely ever there, had admitted to Kiba upon his return to having experienced strange blackouts and hours gone…" His eyes widened. "Makes sense."

Sakura didn't bother staring at him. "What does?"

Shikamaru blew the smoke into the air, letting it curl in thick tendrils around his lips. "Self-defense mechanism."

"Defense… mechanism," mouthed Tsunade.

"Yeah," he said. Usually, a nod would have followed. Now – just the word. "Thinking about it now… We'd considered him near comatose… Who knows, maybe he'd not been that… Maybe, maybe his body had only wanted to protect him – or was it the mind? Maybe Kyuubi's elaborate plan, who knows, probably no-one, but it makes sense. Naruto, after all, always was a person too strong. We all knew he was hurt by Sasuke's departure from his life, but not hurt enough to discard his duties and maybe that's why the Elders had persecuted him like a criminal during that meeting, because he'd gone even against himself, not just them, and had done something otherwise out of question."

"Huh…" Sakura slumped heavily into her seat. "So you're saying it was protection… So that time when you, Hinata and I showed, we'd lured him out of his protective bubble and without that worn around, there was nothing to shield him from this? And now, after days of working hard, heartless and pretending like Sasuke doesn't exist, though only to get assaulted by the Elders – and us, us as well, because we all looked at him like we wanted to hear him say- I love him –, all memories come flooding back to him, worse than ever before and this happens… And it's been a week now."

Shikamaru let out a small noise. "Yeah… Yeah… Huh… The memory of Sasuke, the waft of it… Would it have felt smothering even with Sasuke around?"

Strange Shikamaru, strange… Sakura shrugged. "Who knows. It's not like we can really ask him-or ask Sasuke, who could probably and by that I mean totally tell us the truth, being the only person to have been long enough by Naruto's side to know-"

"_Shit."_

The curse that slipped from Shikamaru's lips actually startled her, and the sudden torrent of emotions stronger than those of a spoon grabbed even Tsunade's attention.

Both women focused their eyes on Shikamaru, whose expression had gone from morose to shocked and furious.

"That's right, Sasuke would know. Because Sasuke was constantly by his sides. Sasuke was ALWAYS by his side."

Sakura grimaced. "We know that."

"Do we?" Shikamaru turned to her – then to Tsunade. "Did you really keep them under tight surveillance? Just how much did you watch? How MUCH did you see? Could you give me their detailed schedules, everything? Anything? Sasuke was always by his sides, always… And who's to say this was the first time such a thing had happened, who's to say – Naruto hasn't had them before, even when there was Sasuke?"

"But they-"

"May have been less violent, yes," continued Shikamaru, oblivious to Sakura's protests. "Sasuke… Sasuke is that factor, that element all instances would have in common… He was honestly always around, always keeping a close watch on Naruto… Really, it was easy to dub him a stalker and possessive, jealous freak, but what if his reasons weren't so superficial, what if he-what if…"

"If,"-Tsunade's voice boomed throughout the long corridor. "-he'd meant to watch over him as well, keeping these attacks at bay?"

Sakura was doubtful. Sakura was, at the same time, hopeful, because weeks ago, when first encountering this splendidly cobwebbed, complex situation, she'd created a frame in which the pieces of puzzles she'd meant to fit, yet over time when only a few had slipped into proper places, she'd trashed it. Now, these random, vague guesses were like god-sent and to her marvel, they fit the frame like they'd waited for this moment all along. All that stupid time along.

The only thing she could do – was join. "It's a shame, a shame… There are so few things we know about the time Naruto and Sasuke spent together. Naruto can-will-I-tell us, only so much. Sasuke would have been able to fill in the details and gaps, together to create an actual story. I mean, we could be wrong, right?"

Shikamaru, begrudging, nodded and put out the cigarette against the bench they sat on. "Could be… Could be anything. Just a stretch of our imagination, because it would still peg the question – why didn't Sasuke say a word? If Naruto had had these happen to him before and Sasuke had, indeed, meant to watch over him to prevent them, how come he'd never told anyone? His love for our leader should have planted that simple idea; he's a genius, not a dumb idiot. He'd have reached the logical conclusion of Naruto's life being in danger… And then, how could Naruto let those… fits happen without alerting anyone? Why and how? He can't just forget about them, but if he's not aware… _UGH._ If we had the answers, if there existed a rational explanation for something so homicidal and plain insane, we could finish this story and finally figure out what the fuck has been keeping us awake at nights for years. Finally after years…"

They couldn't, not this easily. It was a wishful thinking on their part for Sasuke to magically materialize right in front of them and give them the answers, and until such a thing happened – or until finally someone spilled all the beans, they could only hope.

After many long moments, as various other ninja left the room and others arrived to replace them, after the corridor had emptied out safe for them again, Sakura moaned out loud in distress.

"How and why now… Why."

She waited for any kind of answer, knowing that unwillingly or not, one of the other two would offer it to her, and it was the logic of a child to receive something in turn for nothing, yet maybe her very existence, so alive, fleshy and healthy, was that gift she had to offer.

A few moments later, Shikamaru was the one to speak again. "I was thinking about that as well. It's strange to me, really; when he was working as the Hokage again, he was strong, tough, almost callous, but he was favored. But maybe something just wouldn't let his heart go… It's like… He's torn between two things; his duty and his love, and now he realizes – he can't do both at once."

Sakura sighed, dipping all into the brewing pot of anguish. "Can't he just have both?"

"I'm afraid he would if he knew how and maybe there's just something that's making him feel-"

"Like he can't," finished Tsunade for them, rising to her feet and making her way to the room. She stopped abruptly a foot away, looking over her shoulder; Sakura knew the look rested predominantly at her, proposing the very same question as before.

This time, she didn't say no, did not hesitate.

She stood up as well, walked to Tsunade's side. They took in a few sharp intakes of breath, knowing what awaited them inside, then outstretched their hands, pushing the door open-

-and walked inside to do their best for Naruto.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

It was a large circle-shaped room with one entrance and no windows, cut off from the rest of the building and differentiated by its use as well. Pillars covered in markings rose from the ground to the ceiling unnaturally high, creating another circle in the middle of the room, and there were lights on their inner sides, pointing to the center and creating a small circle of orange glow. The glow ended exactly on the circumference, drawing the perfect circle they'd marked down, creating a drawing not one like a child's, with the writings on it speaking of games and play time, but spelling protection and restoration.

Right now, this dark room buzzing with energy was occupied; the large circle had been divided into ten parts, ten long lines – in reality spells and jutsu jotted down in white – leading from its center and with a man crouched down by the end of every line, hands pressed against the firm cool ground and sending in ripples of chakra.

On His body, healing jutsu drawn with quick, yet perfected strokes of a brush started to disappear, the lines shrinking in until they resembled thin, old scars paled after years, before one flow of chakra later – they were gone completely.

All those around the circle, waited.

A person entered the sealing room, walking with a clear destination on their mind towards one very specific person on His right, and upon reaching them-

"How is he?"

Tsunade slouched forward even further, weariness on her face. "We will see in a few moments."

They waited again, Kakashi standing patiently behind Tsunade, the sight of Naruto's body lying stilly on the ground, covered by white sheets and patches of red strewn all across the most disturbing thing the world had seen in its millennia long existence.

But seven days and seven nights of aiming to fix the physical body must have paid off, must have gotten them somewhere and a step closer to heaving out a sigh of relief and feeling that one thing completely rock through their bodies like ocean waves lapping at the shores, wild and impossible to ever tame.

He watched, pondering if the rumors he'd heard were true, if the whole time He'd watched them back, a part of his conscious mind slipping free from the restraining hold of the pain they assumed possessed his body even now.

There was little Kakashi wanted to admit to himself; little to do with this situation as well. He stood, motionless and like a statue, easily confused with one; a person to walk next into the room could look at him, see the figure shrouded by the artificial orange glow mixed with blackness of the room and assume a sick prank had been played on everyone present, positioning a grotesque thing like that in their line of sight as if to bring back and old memory.

But then-

-He stirred.

Tsunade leaned back, hands leaving the circle, and at the same time He sat up, eyes open and face passive.

Everyone held their breath-

Naruto's lips parted to let out a small noise resembling a sigh, and he lifted both hands to his face, letting them all, unknowingly, drown in own worries for a little longer, before removing them at the same time, revealing a horrified and confused picture drawn all across his face.

"What in the holy…"

He looked all around, finally meeting Tsunade's gaze – his features softening, becoming loving and tender, apologetic.

Which was the only thing they'd all waited for.

Tsunade stood up much faster than her exhausted body permitted. "Move him to the hospital. Let everyone know the Hokage has awoken. _Go."_

The Hokage stared at her, not fighting anything.

Then he looked at Kakashi, and Kakashi felt something akin to love lace his eyes. Before he could stop himself, he was saying-

"Welcome back, Naruto."

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

It was not a miraculous recovery, per se; first of all, that would be a grave insult to all those that had in a sense painfully literal sweated blood and tears for the whole duration of their work on ensuring he lived to see the tomorrow. They'd not just camped there by an accident, hoping to sing Kumbaya with guitars conveniently appearing out of nowhere and the center of the room actually meant for campfire, the center being occupied, by great misfortune, by some half-naked, scarred bloke.

Second of all, it was less than miraculous and more than miraculous as well. No-one understood what stroke of luck had gotten him out of it, what exact power had permitted the eyes to open and body to heal so well that when he walked on both feet without stagger, no-one, having witnessing the chakra rip out of his body like blades, dared ask how or why.

No-one really would. There might have been a small number of extremely curious souls, but the news spread nonetheless and even those rejoiced in silence – and confusion.

What, everyone asked themselves, had happened during that meeting, what insanity and raving madness had resulted in that gruesome display of bone and flesh?

Shikamaru looked at Naruto, careful and cautious even in that, as if one bad look could bring back memories and prompt the history to repeat itself.

Naruto, however, did not dissipate into thin air like a figure of mist, returning the care with eyes that could not find the right words for an apology.

Eventually, Shikamaru shifted in his seat, the warmth of the sun carefully flowing inside tickling his skin. "Huh… you're looking better. That hospital gown suits you."

Naruto looked down at said gown, making a childish grimace of utmost dislike for the attire, but instead of voicing that he shrugged. "Yeah. And I feel better. Heavy, though."

He sat on the bed in the room prepared only for him, various devices lined up by the walls, around just in case of yet another emergency. Shikamaru saw him look at them with suspicion, but as they didn't suddenly jump to life and start peeping a straight, dead heart line, he calmed and settled on the bed, tapping his feet against the bed sheets in an unfamiliar tune.

"You scared us," said Shikamaru.

"I know."

"Do you remember it?"

Naruto frowned, thinking. "A bit…"

Shikamaru leaned forward. "What's the last thing you remember? Did you, before it happened, think of Sasuke?"

"Well…"

"Tell me the truth." Please.

Naruto yielded. "I did." He yielded with shame. "I remembered-Akiko? Was that her name? That girl that-"

"I remember," sighed Shikamaru; so the Elder's tactless words had been the last brutal hit before the showdown. "And Sasuke?"

Troubled, Naruto shook his head. "It was… A memory. From ages ago, I think. I don't know why I remembered that one. In reality, I'd completely forgotten about it… It was when we were still chuunin, actually."

"That _was_ a bit ago."

"Yeah. We were talking about… Ugh." In thought, he scrunched up his nose, but even moments later he didn't continue, the memory simply too far out of his grasp, fleeing from him at the slightest mention of recall. "I… Can't remember it that well. Not the details, which is strange and I don't get it… But I remember-I told Sasuke I wanted to have children. And be a daddy. And I know, I think… I think I told Sasuke to revive the Uchiha clan?"

Shikamaru sighed, exasperated, body burying further into the hardness of the chair. "I see. I guess he didn't like it."

"I don't remember, actually. I'm not sure, which is what confuses me… I usually remember everything and, like, with Sasuke? Each thing was strangely memorable, even those long, uneventful, monotone days when we just sat in the apartment in utter silence or sparred on the training grounds without break for many hours."

"That's right," agreed Shikamaru slowly. "That is peculiar."

Right. Cutting to the chase-just… Without the cutting. He gulped, but set his features in determination.

"Naruto, what happened in that room?"

Naruto's eyes met his-

_Just as I thought._

Shikamaru slinked back, exhaustion crippling him.

_He doesn't know._

Because there was no semblance of recognition in Naruto's eyes, only those many swirling thoughts that plagued everyone's minds, that made the reality just an unreachable concept that hovered somewhere in the air, too obscure a thought, too mocking a thing to be grasped.

Somehow, Naruto conjured up an apology and slightly shook his head side to side, shoulders awkwardly lifted, as if he were trying to hide his face. "I wish I knew, really… _I wish I knew_."

"Has it happened before?"

Naruto didn't hesitate. "No."

Shikamaru's heart dropped.

"It's never happened before."

And Shikamaru's mind reeled, the memory of Naruto breaking down on them fleshed out before his eyes, the pictures of crying for Sasuke and sending them out combined-

-and then the one from not long ago, the recent unforgivable reality that had been the cause for restless nights for those to have witnessed it. Shikamaru really wanted to believe Naruto was lying, but he knew better than to make any such wrong assumption; Naruto didn't know. He'd never probably known what was happening around and Shikamaru knew-

-that the seal was the cause for everything; it wrecked and saved him at once and their help had not been necessary. Slowly but surely, just as, perhaps, in all the previous cases, it would have healed him this time as well, keeping him alive for some wretched, sick purpose that only the universe knew, and suddenly, Shikamaru found himself worshiping the wayward Uchiha and all he had done.

Maybe, the whole time, he'd kept this truth hidden from them and Naruto as well, suspecting what disastrous effects it would have on them. And Naruto, oh, Naruto…

Shikamaru's facial expression was one of sadness.

At that moment, Tsunade and Kakashi chose to enter the hospital room, looking first at Shikamaru for answers – he shook his head and their shoulders slumped, eyes directed forlornly at Naruto.

Oh, the foolish, ignorant Naruto-

-the door closed and-

"It's happened before, hasn't it?"

Chirp, chirp, a sparrow outside the window.

Three pairs of eyes landed on Naruto's face, inspecting it for any tenseness or a slither of chakra that would suggest another fit was coming, but nothing like that showed, only the eager quality of someone hunting for truth as well.

"Has it? Tell me the truth."

Tsunade crossed her hands over her chest. "Something for something."

Naruto gaped. "Seriously?"

"Yes. You tell us, we tell you. Honesty, Naruto, we want honesty."

He gritted his teeth. "Whatever, fine." But then he sighed, feeling sorry, as Shikamaru assumed, for his attitude. "What do you want to know?"

Tsunade didn't waste any time; she stood at the bed end, hands around the bedpost, eyes set on fire. "Were you and Sasuke lovers?"

Had the situation been any different, Shikamaru would have found much humor in the horrendous shade of red that at once invaded Naruto's features and made him resemble a tomato far too ripe, but undoubtedly delicious at the same time; the man fretted, genuinely embarrassed, and it was the relief they all felt, for the healthy shade of pink had never looked better on him, and more color returned to his entire body, until like a lit up bulb he buzzed with it incessantly, life oozing from him in cheerful, endearing shockwaves.

"Ugh, jeez, what kind of a question is that? We, um."

"Well?"

Naruto coughed into his hand – for the show only, of course. "Um. No."

A large vein appeared on Tsunade's forehead. "Naruto-"

In protest he waved his arms at her. "I mean it! We, like-Okay. By lovers you mean the whole, um, se… se… Well, things. And we never did stuff like that? Just no."

She growled. "Naruto, that's not the only definition of lovers there is. Nothing sexual needs to happen, it's not a requirement."

He blinked. "Oh. In such a case… I don't know."

Upon their disbelieving looks, he groaned. "Look, you kind of asked the worst question there is, because Sasuke and I, we, um… I guess… Okay. I guess." Solemn his eyes now. "I guess we weren't just friends. I mean, I feel that if I called us friends, I'd be insulting everything we'd ever stood for, but then – lovers, if I called us lovers, I'd be taking it a level that's too… defined, like giving it a label, putting it in a box, issuing a number of expectations we have to meet by the end of the next week or face being kicked out and considered 'just' friends again. It wasn't that simple, it never was. I wish I could tell you more, but you are asking the impossible of me, because there is no answer. We just _were._"

Kakashi gave him a sympathetic look, leaning with feigned nonchalance against the wall. "You never really knew, did you? Or maybe you preferred not knowing, but I guess this is as honest an answer as we could get."

Tsunade cast Naruto a worried look. "Well, might as well be grateful for this, even if it's still unclear."

"Yeah."

They all noted, at that moment, Naruto's discomfort. Any fool would have had it pegged as the result of their prying questions and dismissed anything more, but they'd been acquainted with Naruto on different kind of levels throughout their lives, and knew better than to take the easier path with him. Thus, a few seconds later, a strange conclusion was reached, and they understood – the topic of lovers and Sasuke was bringing him down, causing the twitching of his fingers, the fretting under their stares, the internal battle they witnessed in his eyes, and something like mutiny etched into his features; he didn't want to see it, he just did not want to see what together he and Sasuke had been. And that, in a sense, was the greatest mystery of all.

Tsunade released the bedpost. "You have no idea then why this attack happened?"

"No… no, I don't. I wish I did, I do. There were cases in the past when I got severe chest pains, but that was when I, er… doubted Konoha. That was when I acted against the seal. But I know for sure it didn't happen this time, I know for sure I was all for protecting Konoha and being loyal to it… I don't understand it." By the way he shrank, occupying less space, it was obvious he was itching to curl in a ball. "It's like the purpose of the seal has changed."

"Would that be possible?" asked Kakashi.

Naruto's reply came quicker than Kakashi's question had formed. "No." He sighed. "Absurdly, absolutely not."

"Then… We don't know. What caused it, how to prevent it."

Naruto gave Tsunade a helpless look. "No, we don't."

After that, they all lapsed into silence.

Short-lived silence. Outside the window, the streets buzzed with life, people flocking to all different shops and sides in larger crowds, because being on their own had become a taboo these days, like whatever illness Naruto had contracted easily spread onto others, air-borne and capable of wreaking the most terrifying kind of chaos no-one could fight against. They were afraid. Afraid for themselves. Afraid for their Hokage.

Naruto looked outside the window. "I'll speak to Kyuubi."

"Will he have any answers?" asked Tsunade, doubtful.

A grimace. "He was there. When… it happened. For a moment, I was in my mind with the fox. It told me to run. The bastard fox knew what was going to happen. So." He looked at them all, grim. "For sure, that fox has some answers. Question is if he'll share them with me." Then, rueful, he grinned. "I'll make him. I'll get the answers out of him even if I have the beat them out of him."

The three liked this sentiment, for it bore an uncanny resemblance to the Naruto they'd known.

"And until then…" Naruto shuffled on the bed, outstretching his feet and poking the gown with a sour look on his face. "I'll tell you another story."

"Now?" asked Tsunade, disbelieving, stumped.

His grin widened. "Yeah. You've never heard them personally and it's kind of fair you would. I mean, they're no horror stories, just a bundle of oddities and whatnots. 'Sides, I'm really starting to believe I'm not telling you everything…" Mystified, he trailed off, thought of unknown origins heaving him down. "Like I'm holding back… Here's to hoping you'll see through any unintentional deceit and force the truth out of me. And, also… This particular story… You know, I was awake. The whole time you were there…"

There in that room with him, constantly by his side, instructing others, sharing her chakra and life force with him. Tsunade paled, eyes cast downwards, shame, pain swirling in them soundly.

"It feels like I must repay you for what I put you through… It's a nice story, too, really nice… I kind of-maybe it has no connection at all to the current happenings, to what's going on. Maybe it will be, eventually, deemed just a bitter memory of mine that causes pain rather than take it away… But I'm hoping… I'm eating well. Trying. I remembered-"-he smiled. Brilliantly. The room lit up. And Shikamaru's heart beat faster. "-I'd not eaten much before. I want to repay you, baa-chan… And Kakashi-sensei, you are the, er, temporary Hokage, no? In my place, doing all the paperwork, stuff… I know you hate it. Politics, really, had destroyed your childhood, marred it, so why would you find yourself liking it now?" Kakashi couldn't hide the softness on his face. Tsunade couldn't hide the hope on hers. Shikamaru – the gratitude on his. Naruto, even in the current situation, would continue to brighten their days. It was marvelous and scary at once, what one human being could do.

No matter what, he was their beacon of light, its flame burning eternally, bright and the color of life.

Without him, whatever would they do? If he had this much of an effect on them now – without him around, what would happen to this world?

Naruto, oblivious to this, radiated warmth and joy all around, mirth in blind bliss streaking his features, making them so young again, like before the days that had seen the wrongness of this world.

"It was, I guess… I am, possibly, just sentimental. I always did, after all, like this particular memory… The Chuunin exams were nearing, just around the corner. We weren't excited, but neither were we, what's the word-intimidated? We, Sasuke and I, I guess, didn't feel a thing. Our lives were strangely devoid of most things familiar to people, but in a way we were… A lot like. A…"

_A?_

Naruto smiled. "Just solve this mystery, would you?"

Touched, Shikamaru sat back.

_Like anyone could ever say no to you, Naruto._

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

For some things, there are no excuses.

Sasuke didn't cook. While he could cook, he didn't do it often. A few weeks after living with Naruto, realizing the blond without joke lived on ramen and milk, he started to cook. But then Sasuke cooked only for himself. Months later, after Naruto did not grace the party of Kiba's sister with his glorious presence, many other opportunities arose to make up for the exception he'd made, but as each time he rather remained with Sasuke, the exception was turned into an unforgivable act of ignoring friends – and Sasuke started to cook for them both.

He forced vegetables and fruits down Naruto's throat, and protest as Naruto did, his performance bettered, his stamina increasing and in general – his body, despite many years of negligence suffered by own hands and the ramen and milk he'd only ever eaten, greatly welcomed this change. Naruto did not protest that much afterwards, secretly glad for mastering certain missions quicker and faster executing his signature moves, but, of course, he was a proud fool, and the shining example of a mule in regards to stubbornness.

So one day he decided to make food himself and show off his prowess.

For some things, there are really no excuses.

Suffice to say, after Naruto somehow managed to set the cereal bowl on fire, Sasuke chased him out the apartment, saying something along the lines of "I will hunt you and hurt you" like a scary monster that hid under the bed and Naruto sought haven on the rooftop of their apartment building. There on the arduous, nicely slanted roof not made for eventful night chats and star-gazing, he lay.

Actually.

There, he sulked and brooded like a child.

And pouted, too.

"Cheeee…" he grumbled, hand punching thin air and eyes directed at the sky resembling a rainbow; the sun was setting down, its temporary farewell this beautiful display of all colors of rainbow, and the predominant red reminded him of Sasuke's. "'Never dare cook again, fool' he says. 'You're an idiot', he says. 'How are you still alive', he says… _CHE._ Like he's any better than me. Hmp, stupid Sasuke." Pouting still, he threw his arms around.

The skies really did resemble the redness of Sasuke's Sharingan… Not. Welcome.

Naruto sat up and pumped both fists in the air. "It's not like I did it no purpose!" His empty yell of an indirect apology echoed around-and someone shouted in a muffled voice back at Naruto, saying things about keeping it down or shutting it before they walked up and did it themselves, and Naruto stared at the direction of the voice, face deadpan.

"… _Right._ As if you could. Or would. … Hmp."

Furiously obstinate, he lay back.

What was Sasuke doing there, anyway? … Cleaning? … No, impossible-well, okay, probably that but the thought of Sasuke skipping around wearing an apron and holding a dust-cleaner in one hand, the spatula in the other was so disturbing that Naruto's face turned blue.

"I think I'm going to throw up."

Out of the blue, a dirty rag descended down on his face and Naruto abruptly sat up, coughing dust, the rag held between thumb and middle finger, a scathing look cast in the direction of the only person to ever do that to him.

"What was that for, Sasuke?"

Wordlessly, the man sat down right next to him like this was a daily and quite normal occurrence and they'd just gotten in a small tiff. Naruto supposed he should have felt glad for no outburst of anger, but in a sense he would have welcomed it more, as this quaint man seated next to him was a puzzle piece, and he didn't quite fancy the idea of piecing all together; the bigger picture, in this case, was the undesired by-product of their union.

Still, he did not seethe, eyes lingering on Sasuke's figure for just a few seconds, before he looked away, lying down once more even if with hesitation, the rag dropped and discarded elsewhere.

Why Sasuke had come up there continued to elude Naruto completely, but wishing not to pry into business where each answer would end with "fool", he remained silent, content with watching the sky change colors.

And still the red looked so very much like Sasuke's.

_Heh._

Many silent moments later, there was slight shifting to his side; Naruto watched Sasuke make himself comfortable, one leg bent in knee, the other outstretched in front of him, one hand holding him properly propped up and balanced, the other on the knee, torso angled forward and expression partially obscured by his hair.

Then in mellifluous and cold tones-"Don't ever cook again."

Huh. Momentarily bewildered, Naruto stared. "Right… Well, sorry for trying."

"Not excused. How did you ever set the bowl on fire? That's inexplicable."

"I was trying to warm up milk."

"Warm milk is disgusting," commented Sasuke.

Naruto shrugged. "Not everything you haven't tried is disgusting. And well, there was a towel nearby and it set on fire and how was I supposed to know the bowl was made of flammable material?"

"The bowl is- correction, was wooden. What else would you have expected it to do?" Harsher tones penetrated Sasuke's voice. "Dance to you? Of course it would have caught on fire."

Naruto grumbled something under his breath. "But with ice in it?"

"… Ice. Naruto. Where is your mind today?"

He pouted. "Whhaaaat… I was trying to do something nice for a change."

"Then next time, just stay put and shut the hell up; that's the nicest thing you could ever do," came the indignant reply, drawing an outraged reaction from Naruto.

"Blah, blah, blah. You say whatever's convenient to you at that moment. I remember that when I didn't speak for hours the last time, you called me an imbecile and asked me if a cat had caught my tongue."

"I did not," said Sasuke, hand leaving his knee.

Naruto closed his eyes and gave a sage nod. "You so did, Sasuke, you so did. Seriously, you just keep looking for excuses to cuss at me. I mean, come on, Sasuke. You're smart, you should know you don't need a reason. It's the reason that limits you to puerile behavior which only reduces smart points from you and belittles you in turn. _And_ unbeknownst to you. If you want to ridicule me so very much, then just rely on your inert dislike for me and refrain, please, from acting inane. Utilize your smarts and put them to good use, Uchiha. Thank-you and goodbye."

Silence.

Complete. Utter. Silence. He actually heard the buzzing of the nearby mosquito that thought it a most splendorous idea to position itself right above Naruto's exposed collarbone, but Naruto swatted it away and shot a look of confused anger at Sasuke.

Who was staring at him. In… Shock. Or something.

Once more, Naruto pouted. "What. What did I do now?"

Sasuke continued to stare, before giving, to Naruto's surprise, a lopsided, haughty smile. "It's surprising to see you speak coherently, Naruto, and make sense for once. It appears those smarts of mine are finally beginning to rub off on you permanently."

Oh, _right,_ always about Sasuke's ego. Well, Naruto had a comeback of his own as well. He waited for Sasuke to finish talking, waited for his words to properly linger in the air as if with a lasting effect as Sasuke had meant them to, before conjuring up a cute little smile on his face that reeked of mischief and jest. "Well, well, well, look at who is indulging his own ego. Is that a smile, Sasuke? Oh, jeez, don't strain yourself for me, I mean, this is downright over-exerting yourself just for this humble imbecile. Shoo, shoo, off with the smile or I'll think I'm rubbing off on you as well. And now, now, you wouldn't want that, eh?"

What he expected was a scoff and something typically Sasuke-like. What he got was a relaxed posture and amusement so very un-Sasuke-like. This did not mark the first instance he'd not been shot down, and the first time he wasn't entirely sure what to do about it. Whether he liked it or not, knowing Sasuke did not preach at him like a commanding officer was a nice and welcome change that did not necessitate a worsening of his current mood, promoting, instead, lightness on his chest.

But reveling in this knowledge was a big no-no, right, because he didn't need Sasuke knowing he found his presence pleasant. Had… been finding his presence pleasant lately.

Right… that would be breaking this castle in the sky, no?

He cleared out his throat. "Anyway, what are you going to make?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, I see, I quite lik-_what_."

Sasuke's eyes gleamed. "That's your punishment. It's quite befitting of you."

"I'll make ramen."

"We have no ramen."

"Beef ra-_what do you mean we have no ramen_?"

"You threw it all out over a week okay because it had expired."

Like a fish, Naruto gawked. "What. Impossible. I let my ramen expire? How dare I. I…" He gulped. "If I let my ramen expire, it means only one thing." Grimly, he looked at Sasuke. "Sasuke, I am dying."

Sasuke punched him in the shoulder.

Naruto yelped and rubbed the spot, all seriousness gone. "What was that for?"

"Don't joke about such things, Naruto."

"But I was serious!"

"That's even worse."

"Grrr, Sasuke…" He huffed. "I mean. I haven't eaten ramen in ages. Do you know what that means?"

"Yes." Impatiently, Sasuke tapped his fingers against the roof. "It means you're growing up."

Naruto stared, appalled by this daring claim. "Absurd." Wait. "… I mean. Of course I am!" he laughed, but Sasuke saw through the fake laugh and it died on Naruto's lips. "…Whatever. It's just a shame. What am I going to eat now?"

"Our ancestors didn't have grocery shops; their way of living should set an example for you, Naruto."

"Meaning?"

Slightly, Sasuke's teeth grazed the flesh on his own finger. "Grab a spear and go hunt down a rabbit."

Warm evening wind caressed Naruto's face.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."

"Why?" Sasuke was smirking now, victorious apparently. "Can't you?"

"Of-of course I could but-jeez. Oh, wait, I could go buy-"

"Finances, Naruto."

"… _Right._" He remembered; with the chuunin exams around the corner, hosted in Konoha in just a week, they wouldn't be going on any missions until the exams were over, which meant spending as little money as possible and not wasting it on trivial matters; for the mistake of ruining their milk – as it had boiled – and cereals – as he'd stepped on them and spilled hot milk all over – he'd need to pay by going to bed hungry.

… _Ugh. _He groaned. "This reality thing sucks."

"Don't you mean mature?"

"Nah." Naruto made a face. "I've taken care of myself before. I always lived on my own, so… Eh, whatever. No problem. I've gone without food for days before. Watch me tackle this like a boss."

Silence again. Sasuke was surprisingly considerate today, if Naruto was interpreting this reaction as one of a man who understood what exact experience had had him go without food for longer periods of time. Maybe… If he took a peek? Okay, that's okay, Sasuke won't mind, right?

Firmly convinced of that, Naruto did take that peek – to see Sasuke staring at a random point ahead, expression deceptively blank, yet a dark whirlwind of emotion in his charcoal-shade eyes.

"Huh…If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were raging."

Sasuke moved, eyes closed, all about him impassive – still a deception. "And if you knew any better?"

Now _that_ was a good question. Naruto shrugged, not knowing what to say, not knowing how to express there was a seed of hope currently striving inside him, thinking the rage was for him, a strange, obscure idea of sympathy one decade late.

Before he had the chance to figure out the best possible reaction, Sasuke was standing up and walking away, his departure just as wordless and sudden as his arrival.

Naruto grimaced, a part of him sacredly furious. "Where are you going?"

"Sleep." Was the curt reply and then he was gone, no chance of stopping him ever presented to Naruto. Right, because Sasuke didn't want to be stopped, even if Naruto had deluded himself for a moment into believing the man cared – and the idea of a child starved for days to no end, spoon-fed the hatred of the villagers, had disgusted him as much as it still did Naruto.

Or maybe he'd insulted this complex figure in his life by assuming things? After all, years of knowing him even so-so had taught Naruto what it meant to be at the receiving end of a badly misplaced assumption that cut far too deep for the wound ever heal; even now Sasuke's body carried invisible cuts of those to have gone too far and for too long; having been left unattended, they'd re-open and ache, causing those moments when Sasuke, unaware of Naruto's lingering gaze, would look somewhere – hatred for none other than himself emitted from him in empowering waves.

Naruto looked up at the sky to have gone dark in the meantime, blanket of stars and various unfamiliar constellations dimly lighting it up. The idea of staying outside until late afternoon crossed his mind, but he ached and he ached for who-knew-what, feet automatically planted against the roof, ready to lift the body to a standing position whether he approved or not. Because screw his approval, that's what, and he ached on, ached like something was missing and he could never ever stay apart from it, stay out and keep the rift in-between like yet another gaping and bleeding wound. He _had_ to get back. And he had to get up.

Eventually, he sat up, stuck hands in his pockets, and trudged home, climbing down the gutter to jump through the open window and enter the vacant living room. If nothing else, at least the council had left them with a place moderately spacious and these days – with little to no animosity between them – even cozy. This was their home. Their only home.

Bare feet gingerly skidded across the ground. The warm days were at the top of their beauty, and despite that their home could be one of the coldest places around. They couldn't afford heating, couldn't afford many of those luxurious things others could, and this home of theirs was of the humblest, cheapest kind, having only life necessities and no more, no less than that. At times, Naruto considered decorating, but the pictures of Team 7 hadn't seen the light of the day in over a year, safely tucked in the corner of his drawer, along with all those to remind him of this dreary life.

He suppressed the urge to sigh and moved on in the direction of the bathroom, intending to wash his hands, but as he passed by the kitchen, a heavenly scent descended on him, his mouth watering the instant and eyes widening. Not thinking, he went inside, turned the lights on-

-soup. A plain miso soup on the table with a bowl of rice.

His heart stopped.

The walls were not transparent and still he looked at one, knowing Sasuke was behind it, in the bedroom, sleeping soundly – or, perhaps, listening for the sounds from the kitchen, because only he could have made this dinner for him and because had the situation been reversed, Naruto knew he'd wait to see – wait to hear. It could have been a foolish idea to rely on any likeness between them, mostly when Sasuke liked to remind him they were as different as night and day, but tonight, day and night had met, and Naruto couldn't deny him this.

He turned the lights off, pushed the chair back, sat down, grabbed the chopsticks and ate in complete silence and darkness, each bite chewed slowly, carefully, each one relished. And when he was done, he cleaned up after himself, brushed his teeth, took a quick shower, dressed him pajamas without any glaring patterns, and went to sleep.

Their beds had been organized since the very beginning in a strange way, assuming the shape of letter L, but where they connected a small night stand stood with a lamp on top; thus the bed heads did not meet, but their pillows were both at the nightstand and somehow even over the past months they'd never re-arranged them. Somehow, even with their hostility, they'd always slept with their heads separated by a few inches and as Naruto stood in the doorway, eyes fixated on Sasuke's bare back, he started to wonder about that.

Sasuke moved. Naruto's eyes widened.

_He's still awake._

A strange obstacle caught in his throat, he waddled over to his bed and lay down, blanket pulled only to his waist. Heat assaulted him that instant and he grumbled, shuffling to sit up, taking his top off and lying back down like a petulant, sulking child, annoyed by the extra movement and aware of every little movement that appeared to boom around.

Self-conscious, he shifted one last time to put his hands behind his head, and stared at the ceiling. In silence. Mind amok, thoughts running crazy, a contented growl in his stomach, but the mind incapable of dealing with this. Why, Sasuke… Why did you make that dinner…

"Go to bed, Naruto."

Naruto's eyes tried to widen. "You're awake."

He looked at Sasuke's back; he wasn't moving, wasn't planning to, but he'd spoken.

"Did I wake you up, Sasuke?"

"No."

"Oh." He thought. "Ne, ne, Sasuke…"

"What is it?"

"I'll repay you the favor."

"What favor?"

"The dinner. You made it, no? Of course." Naruto blinked at the ceiling. "I'll make you something, I promise. Something to pay you back, okay?"

Silence, then-a lazy, despicable drawl-"I don't need your kindness, Naruto."

Naruto snickered, ignoring the jab to his heart. "Yet you showed me yours." He wanted to add-_I didn't need it._ But he couldn't lie, never to Sasuke.

Sasuke didn't speak. If he hated having made the dinner, then why did he? His actions were nonsensical.

And Naruto was going to prove it. "I want to. It's not that bad, you know?" What should he get him? What? Weapons or, or-or… What? He scowled.

_Why am I thinking of getting him something anyway, actually? Why? It's just dinner. It's normal to fix someone a small dinner when you know they're hungry, right? Right?_

As if reading his thoughts, Sasuke's voice entered the still air. What Naruto noted – was the tone of it; dulcet, low, soft, so atypical for someone of Sasuke's status. "It's nothing, Naruto. I don't require anything in turn, less alone from you."

That was true. As much as Naruto wanted to believe in otherwise, Sasuke wouldn't lie to him; he didn't require a damn thing from him, didn't require… But did require equal need? The ceiling had little to no answers to offer him. Outside, moon the shape of a neat, white crescent shone. The act of kindness, while left to be forgotten, had warranted its attention. Now, they had a piece of that moon with them as well.

Naruto looked towards the ground, noting how the cylinder of light ignored Sasuke's bed as if he didn't exist, as if he only ever direly needed his darkness.

A weight of discomfort settled in the pit of Naruto's stomach.

"Sasuke?"

Nothing for a while – but he couldn't ignore him. "What is it?"

"Do you think we'll finally become chuunin?"

"I don't know."

"Hmm… Last time, the exams were held in Suna. We weren't invited back then."

"No."

"Wonder why."

"Politics, Naruto."

"Politics," echoed Naruto emptily. That made sense. No-one wanted the twisted, last remaining Uchiha and the Kyuubi to be awarded greater power and responsibility; it wasn't about fear if they'd handle it, but fear if – the people would. Knowing those already well beyond their reach now had an actual excuse to use a greater portion of their power was undoubtedly scary and Naruto knew why no-one was ever sent with them on missions, safe for the diplomatic Shikamaru. It should have unsettled him in the least, but instead Naruto felt a well-placated beat thump throughout his body; it didn't bother, it couldn't bother him, because he wasn't alone.

"Sleep, Naruto."

He couldn't. "Do you think we'll become chuunin?"

"You've already asked me that."

"Yeah, but you didn't answer, not properly."

Sasuke probably frowned. Who knew, Naruto was still looking at his back, but something told him the Uchiha's face bore no signature tell-tale of a cold, detached mask.

"It's hard to tell if we will or will not," came the man's stoic reply a few moments later. "Even giving it our best could only deter us from our goal instead, and giving it little could affirm we're not suitable. I don't know if they will let us become chuunin, Naruto, and next time – if you want a proper answer, ask a proper question."

_Fine._

Naruto swallowed. "Do you think they will let us?" Stupid to ask when he'd already been given an answer, and this was the action of terrorizing someone for incomprehensible reasons, because how else to dub Naruto's incessant prying? There was, however, no bad will, no higher agenda of antagonizing Sasuke, and Sasuke, possibly, knew that. Sensed that, somehow, in this air of subtlety suspended in-between like the giveaway to their reality.

Sasuke's next words were even softer than the previous reply. "I wish I knew." And barren, strangely adjusted to feeling at a loss of words and actions, to being helpless against everyone's hard press.

"If you've sated your curiosity now, go to sleep," added Sasuke after only a second had passed.

Again, Naruto looked at the man's back, one particular thought not letting him rest.

"Sasuke, why are you still up?"

He could answer simply, say "your questions keep me from sleeping", could answer that Naruto had made noise while doing the dishes or that the drumming of the water against the titled walls of their shower had kept him up and around, but nothing of such simple, honest sort arrived, as if in that clueless trance, no answer would have been sufficient.

For many long moments, there was silence. Soft, light and sweet silence.

Into that silence, Sasuke's shifting echoed as the man turned to lie on his back.

Seeing that, Naruto's heartbeat sped up, racing with time. Why.

Why-

-Sasuke looked at him.

Their eyes met.

Still, the last question hung in the air. Memories of the past bothered Naruto's eyes, meddled with his thoughts; hate me, he wished, detest me, he hoped, do anything but give in and let my hopes up.

And he'd disappoint, however, disappoint, for Sasuke-

"I don't know."

-lacked hatred. He wondered – if he'd ever have the chance to tell him that, if he ever could bear the thought of such sharp honesty, or rather drown in knowing he'd not possessed enough power to speak up.

Sasuke averted his gaze and Naruto held back the urge to sigh, arms leaving their position, one on his chest, the other dangling lifelessly off the bed.

He relaxed.

Over years he'd learned how to do that, force his body into a state where it separated from mind, where either acted independently from the other and wouldn't interfere. When he felt only idly each and every movement, the steady beating of his heart lulling him to dreamless sleep. In this dazed, hypnotized state, the surroundings became blaring and sharp-blurred, the eyes perceiving everything differently and assigning new names and meanings to things.

This world, he knew, was one of make-believe.

His hand shifted.

Sleep, sleep… Sleep. Detachment of the body and the body, ha, acting on its own…

His hand shifted, his eyes – peeled open-

-something warm in his vicinity.

And then a sudden, singing touch.

Naruto forced himself to look to side, to see that by a sheer accident, his hand had brushed against Sasuke's. And that Sasuke's hand, too, dangled off the bed lifelessly. But now the right distance between them had returned, yes, and the hands were inches apart again and-

-he felt the man's gaze on him.

Felt his own hand reach, saw Sasuke's do the same and it was a calling he couldn't reject, meeting his eyes, curious, breathless and sweetly, accursedly clueless.

Their knuckles touched, the knuckles over the fingers grazed, the palms turned up – and the hands acted on own accord, seeking to hold.

Then.

They were connected. Pinkies hooked. And there was that.

No hate, no resentment. No lie. Naruto could never lie to Sasuke. In the past years, an ever-present ache in his heart had halted all movement upon that idea. He couldn't lie with his eyes, couldn't deny – this touch was riveting.

Sasuke, it appeared, was a man turned earnest and honest to God, his dark orbs swirling with a mess, mass of emotions, the bundle great, breaking, steam coming out of it-

-until Naruto moved and grabbed Sasuke's hand in his and_ held_.

The pressure disappeared. In silence, they continued to stare into each other's eyes, blinkered by the moment they hadn't known could ever come, blind to the way the moon, suddenly, shifted its attention and slowly the silver beams crept over the ground, trickling over Sasuke's figure as well until Naruto could see clearly that, indeed, there was no hate.

Inside his chest, his heart thumped. Thumped. Thumped.

_We are pushing the limits here, pushing the limits of our minds. I don't know, Sasuke, I don't know, I really, really don't… But I just can't let go. _

_I can't let go of this._

Soft.

It smoothed out all wrinkles, all creases on their faces. Mellowed out all emotions, let one ring in their stead.

Even if he wanted, that night, Naruto couldn't sleep, not the usual way. For the first in his life, he fell asleep with his eyes shut wide open, the whole time, his hand securely held in Sasuke's.

The whole time, Sasuke's hand held in his.

That night, for the first time in his life, Naruto had a dream in which no object ensnared his attention, in which he only sat down and someone – someone dark-haired of immense, exquisite beauty and strength – sat behind him, in which with their backs pressed together, they sat together on a withered field in silence.

In which they kept their hands held the whole time.

Just one emotion existed. Just one emotion to take over the world and be carried into the next morning.

Pure. Unfiltered. Unadulterated. Shared between both and bred by them…

_Peace._

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Sai cocked his head to the side, a bead of sweat rolling down his face.

_This… interaction thing is really difficult._

"So, uh," he began, furrowing his brows because it seemed like the right thing to do, and leaning even closer as he interpreted the man's tense expression as a sign he was doing well. "Keisuke-dono, you were there during their chuunin examinations."

The man, grizzled, older and large in built, a wondrous grandfather figure, shrugged. "As I'd told you already, I was their examiner. They took one part of the exams under me."

"I see, I see," replied Sai, nodding sagely, stroking his chin because well, another right thing to do and so on, and the man shot him a strange look. Remembering a few passages from the books he'd read, Sai stepped back to give him some personal space – even if the table between them should have been enough, but maybe the idea of privacy strayed largely from the convention when eating was involved? Mental note, don't interrupt people during lunches. "Could you then shortly tell me how their exam went?"

The man grunted. "Whatever."

Sai nodded. _Victory! Blazing skies, this is going well. Maybe I've improved?_

The pig – _man, man_, Sai mentally corrected himself, remembering how angrily people reacted to being called pigs and who knows why, really – put his bento aside.

In a hoarse, seldom-used voice, the man spoke. "I was the examiner of the second part, which stressed teamwork as essential to a ninja's survival. The preceding exam had eliminated more than one third of the contestants, and in the second we'd had them form two-man teams. Hokage-sama and that Uchiha had even in the first part been a team consisting of just two, of course, and stayed together even in the second exam. Part of it was to see how well ninja from different villages and of different skill would work together and if they could realize their full potential and find a way even when paired with a stranger, but there was no rule restricting those already acquainted to work together, and there was no-one who would have worked with those two. Rather, while many were willing to be on the same team with Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke was avoided like a plague. Our Hokage-sama was not only the person willing and capable of working with the Uchiha, but the only person Uchiha would see by his side. At the same time, anyone who dared approach Hokage-sama was told to-hm, scurry off by Uchiha, let's say. Regardless. The exam was, frankly, very simple. As I'd said, the point was-"

"_-teamwork." He put his foot down and grinned. "I'll test you kiddies to see if any of you has any potential. The rules are simple. One team, two people. One of you has a small bell. Protect that bell. Every examiner's role is to steal that bell. If I manage to take it from you, you fail. And as for the other person… Well, your role is to protect the bearer of the bell. If the bearer is hurt, you fail." _

_A murmur went through the crowd. He watched it with glee; the cretin had realized now that the bell bearer was doomed, because if the other decided not to help, there would be no repercussions in it for them, whereas the bearer would have to suffer. After all, what chances did a small, at most fifteen-year-old child stand against grown up men and women with over two decades of experience behind their belt? _

_Some children started to argue. No-one wanted to be the bearer. Teams started to separate. Feuds grew between them. They didn't realize that, actually, both would fail; the aim was to prove the importance of teamwork and that in a fight, there was no individual. There was a team and this team drove to protect all its elements. If they didn't learn this now, later this mistake would prove to be fatal._

_He gathered saliva in his mouth and spat it out. "You have fifteen minutes. Each test will take fifteen minutes. If in those minutes, the bearer falls or loses the bell, the test is over. Understood? Now, if you think you're prepared, come into the ring and know already – that one of you must be ready to take the bell."_

_Upon these words, most froze. He watched with anticipation, the other jounin positioned at each corner of the ring sharing this sentiment and grinning wildly. _

_Suddenly, excited murmur._

_Two stepped forward._

_A dark-haired Debbie downer, a blond-haired Mister Sunshine. His face grew serious._

_Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha would be the first two to fall._

_They entered the ring, standing a safe distance from him, and he felt the arrogance come back to him. With unabashed confidence, he outstretched his hand palm up, on top of it a small bell on a string. "Which one of you will be the bearer?" And get hurt?_

_Not waiting, the Uchiha looked at Uzumaki. "Naruto, take the bell."_

_He did. Keisuke scoffed._

"_Figures," he commented, handing Uzumaki the bell. Wordlessly, the boy took it, walking back to Uchiha and Keisuke waited for both to assume their positions, already knowing this fight wasn't going to last much. After all, it was obvious from Uchiha's entire demeanor that he had no intentions of protecting the Kyuubi._

_Keisuke smiled, cocky._

See you in two years, boys, you're still not ready yet.

_One of the jounin stationed nearby put his arm up-_

_Keisuke readied to pummel the blond to the ground-_

_-and down, signaling fight start -_

_-he launched himself from his spot like a bullet and a echoing gasp coming from the crowd persuaded him of many to drop out before this fight was over. They'd already seen they stood no chance against him and he grinned broadly. In his hand, a kunai appeared, its edge gleaming of the touch of something green-_

You'll sleep many, many long hours after this, Uzumaki Naruto.

_-and a few feet away the boy had not moved an inch, foolish in his belief he could handle him-_

_-until a voice in the back of his mind screeched loudly-YOU ARE GOING TO DIE-and before Keisuke knew it, he was stopping, skidding across the ground, throat constricting from the killing intent he felt-_

_-and the boy, Uzumaki-no, Naruto just side-stepped, like Keisuke were a lady fixing to enter a room._

_Uchiha Sasuke came next, materializing from his right, his own kunai clashing with Keisuke's and creating sharp sparks that just briefly in the heat of the moment illuminated his face._

_In his eyes he saw the man wordlessly say – _you should have never thought you could take us down, you should have NEVER tried to take us on.

_He jumped back, putting distance between us, preparing a jutsu to launch at this cheeky piece of-Naruto appeared from behind Sasuke's back, a look of concentration on his face, body twisting around to gain speed and strength, accelerating and that was impossible-_

_-_no no nohe's going to hit me-

_-he tried to avoid the impact but couldn't, because he was being held down by two shadow clones and he'd not seen them coming, and next he felt the surrounding air scorch with heat and immeasurable power and he saw that he'd twisted not to gain speed, but hide that glowing sphere of chakra in his hands-_

Shit.

_There was no escape. The two clones released him and the exact instant the swirling jutsu hit him square in the chest and the last thing he saw before being blown away was-_

_-the frog-like pupils, golden in color and shining at him, a haughty smirk on those features-_

_-he flew to the other side of the ring, impacting with the wall and breaking through it, debris following the arch his body created before he was slammed against the ground and dragged across it, creating a few feet long trail of dust and pain._

_Still conscious, he tried to gather himself to his feet-but wound up coughing blood, his ribcage shattered and in the distance – the young genin looking flabbergasted, reverently eying the victorious, the older jounin running to his aid, and then The Victorious standing side by side, Uzumaki dangling the bell up and Uchiha affording a small, matching smile._

_Right before his consciousness slipped away, one thought crossed his mind, one last picture to forever remember-_

_Naruto handed Sasuke the bell, signaling – they'd understood from the very start, intimate with the workings of any a plan to be born into this world and knowing that-_

I was completely obliterated.

_Darkness welcomed him. _

Sai took a seat at the table and propped himself up on his elbows, an intent look on his face. Then he reached out and gently grasped the man's hand _supportively_. "I'm sorry you suck. But thank-you for your help."

The man turned beetroot red and started spewing saliva, which was Sai's cue to make his leave, so he stood and gracefully avoided all sorts of things flying in his direction – the man's food, chair and filthy words alike –, deeply immersed in his thoughts.

_I see… So that's why their teamwork had been praised so much and why they, despite the Elders' efforts, passed… Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun had already earned each other's full trust by then… Hm, makes sense. Okay, what next… Ah, hospital._

Deciding to see his Naruto-kun, unaware of how wrong the possessive pronoun made that thought sound, he left the barracks, sprinting at own leisure towards the hospital and being quite the smart one too at wisely using the windows instead of the more convenient, mundane way… Actually, bad habit.

Now, problem – which room was Naruto-kun's? Big, private one, probably. Fine, logic.

So logic told him to search all the rooms, which he did. Figures, but lacking tact still even at this age prevented him from feeling shame upon accidentally stumbling on half-dressed ladies and people in strange positions. Eventually, logic did work and as he came upon a group of ANBU guarding a door, he quickly and correctly reached the conclusion his beloved Naruto-kun hid behind them, so he strutted forward and exchanged nods with all the guards.

"May I see Hokage-sama?" he asked, addressing Naruto properly, and then came the awkward moment as they eyed him like a potential threat to their Kage, before silently agreeing on something that Sai didn't get to over-hear and letting him pass.

Composing himself and straightening out the creases on his clothing – also successfully ignoring the way all the guards looked at him – Sai walked inside and gently shut the door behind.

"Naruto-kun, I've come to vi-"

And there was Naruto, butt sticking in the air and wiggling side to side as its owner attempted to fit through the small space he'd made for himself in the window by opening it just enough to fit and possibly avoid the loud creak the window would certainly emit in case of being opened completely.

… Well.

Sai blinked.

Naruto wriggled again, then realized he was being watched, then looked over his shoulder-

-then remembered how hospital gowns were designed.

Nice.

With a horrified semi-shriek, semi-whisper, he hit the ground, unintentionally alerting the guards but when they walked in, Naruto was already found on his bed, smiling endearingly at them, and they left, confused-

-the door shut close and Naruto's hand was suddenly over Sai's mouth.

"Sai," he hissed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Sai gave him a pitiful look. Realizing he couldn't speak with a hand preventing him from it, Naruto begrudgingly shuffled away, hands going immediately to close the parted halves of his gown in the back.

At a safe distance away, he sat down. "… They took my pants."

"Uh… I see." He looked to his right. "Aren't they in the closet?" This room looked no different than any other, just that it had been arranged to fit only Naruto, but well, best see for himself? Sai opened what he assumed to be the closet, and was right since it, indeed, was a closet, but they'd only remembered to leave in some hospital clothing which-

-Naruto quickly grabbed some, before shoving Sai inside the closet and leaving him there, door shut behind.

Awkwardly and in the pitch blackness, Sai stared at the back of the closet, sweating much, uncomfortable, but a few moments later Naruto opened the closet and Sai, glad for the source of life, looked at him as if a journey reverent awaited them.

"… Sai, why did you stay inside the closet?"

"You put me here."

"You could have left."

"… True. But I thought you didn't want to be disturbed."

"… True."

They shared a pained look, knowing this failure of a meeting would best be forgotten, which Sai would gladly commit to. Some memories… Would have to go.

Shaking himself from the stunned stupor, he realized he'd caught Naruto trying to escape and seized the man by his shoulders, serious, urgent, but also a bit clueless at what to do. "Naruto-kun, you were trying to escape the hospital."

"I was planning to return, you know," replied Naruto slowly, prying Sai off and stalking towards the window, content this time with showing his back to Sai, clad in comfortable white pants and a short-sleeved white shirt. "Ugh, should have worn this since very beginning, but they just would insist, meh."

"Then why did you let them insist?" asked Sai, worried. Right upon reaching the window, Naruto tensed.

"They'd worried enough already. The least I could do was put on the stupid gown, no matter how it made me feel."

Sai didn't know what to say to that. It wasn't the lack of experience, because this case of guilt he understood all too well. Knowing this moment to be fragile, he opted for remaining quiet and making himself useful.

"Why are you leaving?"

"I need a private chat with the furball and I can't do it here with them behind the door," replied Naruto coolly, no longer shying away from fully opening the window. Sai expected a loud screech, but nothing of that sort was heard and Naruto stood up on the windowsill, hands reaching up to steady himself.

"I see…" Chat with the furball. About that, uh, sickening show… that made sense. Sai sighed. "I'll help you get outside, but I'll come along."

Naruto didn't need help, that was the fun fact, but he needed Sai to shut the hell up about his plan, and that Naruto seemed to realize, looking at Sai like he expected him to grow a second head any time soon – a daily occurrence for Sai – before giving a tentative nod and climbing outside. Sai resisted the temptation to give a loud sigh and followed Naruto over the building side to the unoccupied rooftop, where Naruto settled himself on the ground, legs crossed, hands planted on the knees.

"Don't disturb me," he said as Sai approached him. "Okay? No matter what, don't talk, don't say anything. Just no. I need this moment and I need to speak to the fox."

Sai frowned, far from angry – rather, in a sense, unsettled by this much fever for one chat, unnerved by the prospect of letting Naruto speak to it and maybe come back with answers. He didn't think to voice out his opinions, but the past years had had an apparent effect on him; something on his face morphed to reflect his innermost thoughts and Naruto saw it, his own expression softening and becoming morose, apologetic, as if he realized he'd been mistreating his friend. And maybe he had.

"Just… Just stand there, Sai, okay?" he said, tone much softer, much more pleasant and compliant than the one before, and as Sai nodded in understanding, a wan smile graced Naruto's features.

Then he closed his eyes and he was gone.

Sai watched his placated features with fascination, having never been a direct witness to this spectacle, but the notion of discomfort wouldn't leave him, forcing him to avert his eyes and look elsewhere for the time being. It felt private, like two lovers embracing and kissing on the streets, and despite the displacement of their rendezvous, no-one dared stare, knowing the publicity did not make it a widely attended drama play.

Flushed in cheeks and sheepish, Sai cast one last uncertain look at Naruto's direction and scowled in worry.

_Well, I suppose now… Now I just wait._

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Traveling long distances was a bit like reflecting on past; the long hours of travel wouldn't pass on their own, prolonging the torment instead in the event of refusing to comply. For that reason, it was like reflecting; you'd think back to the old days, to the young, to the good ol', to new bad. To this and that and the mind too would travel, the many different obstacles tackled along the way either contributing to the mental state, or managing to make a difference. Thus, the notion of travel was easily viewed from different perspectives and easily judged for something that was just each and every individual's own imprint; thus, many would scowl at the idea of it, while some embraced it.

Naruto, at the given moment, had not the time for either, for his destination was always less than a blink away, and no safeguard memory could protect him what came next, nothing to prepare him for the upcoming battle. One moment he was speaking to Sai, regretting greatly the way he'd treated yet dear person, the plight of his conscience heard, and then the light behind his eyelids was gone, replaced by a gritty sense of familiarity. When he opened his eyes next, he was in the long dark corridor of his mind. Towards its end a large room was, the fox displayed behind the bars often missing, often mocking, often the caricature from TV show meant to constantly remind the present party of their many past misgivings and never let them rest.

This time, it was quiet, lying down, its breathing like the sound of an ox's dying breath echoing around.

Naruto blinked, a sudden ache in his chest. He ignored it, walking on, apprehension marring his step, and the first thing he tried to see was the glowing seal suspended above-

-and missing.

Instead a net that connected all walls stood in its place, its threads large and as thick as his arm, glowing blue and positioned well above his head.

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he went directly to the cage, oblivious to the fox's own share of pain. "Oi, oi. Kyuubi, what the hell is that? … Furball, answer me."

It opened one lazy eye at him, took a whiff of him and let out a deep growl. "Naruto…"

No taunts? Naruto narrowed his eyes. Why wasn't it… Laughing, mocking him? Whereas he wasn't overtly fond of being belittled, it was a custom and tradition, that something to help him gauge the level of normalcy, but since it was missing… Again, Naruto's eyes traveled to the net and then to the fox.

In the darkness of its cage, he saw deep marks on the large, furred body, all even and square-shaped, like-there'd been a struggle between them, one the fox had obviously not won.

"What the… hell is this. Kyuubi! KYUUBI." A hiss, a troubled look and he went inside the cage, in futility shaking the large beast's claws and nuzzle; it wouldn't budge, and his strength in this place strangely faltered, as if sucked out him via invisible means and the use of a straw attached to the back of his neck. Purely disgusted, Naruto tried one last time; gathering a small amount of chakra in his hands, he sent it into the fox-and it winced, flinched to its feet, a vicious, annoyed growl heard.

"Brat, don't ever do that again."

Naruto backed out of the cage, discontent, brows twitching. "Whatever… What the hell is that thing?"

"That thing?" echoed the fox, eyes going up-"Oh, _that thing,_ funny you should ask, brat," it growled, the usual mocking quality tenderly found in its words. "Why, that's the seal, of course."

"Impossible. Last time I checked, it was a ball. Sphere. Not a net."

Kyuubi stood on all its feet, its fur glistening dimly, the scars lost in the mighty posture it assumed. "Of course. Why did you come here, Naruto?"

"To talk. Obviously. What happened to the sphere? Just answer me."

The fox gave a thoughtful growl, its red eyes unmoving from Naruto's face. "Oh? Answer you, like you answered me? The many times I called you – ignored. I should do about the same, shouldn't I?" In a lazy drawl it spoke, and Naruto noticed something. The stiffness of the words. It had never been there before. Like someone trying very hard to keep their secret a secret. That was…

Naruto refused to look at the net again, even if his eyes wished to trace every line and square that shone above with a beseeching caress. "Answer me."

It scoffed and dissolved into a flood of chakra that curled around Naruto's feet, forming a whirlwind that would only spin, spin and spin around, all motion languid and careless, stopping many moments later when the fox had had enough time to mull all over. Then it shrank back into its cage, only its head formed of chakra protruding out. "Fine, let me tell you then, Naruto. The thing above your head is, indeed, the seal. As you can see for yourself, it has assumed a very unusual shape. Reminds you of a net, doesn't it? Was a solid wall just a week back."

"A week back," he repeated, realizing something. "The fit. That attack… The seal caused it?" With new-found fear, he surveyed that glow if it, wondering if that wall from a week ago had meant to alienate him from the living, if he'd been prosecuted by the very thing created for the purpose of guarding. "How did it? Why? I didn't think of hurting anyone-well, Sasuke, but I didn't think of betraying, of-destroying, I didn't-want to leave. Why _did_ it do that?"

Kyuubi surveyed him with unquestioning hate, head cocked to the side briefly in a gesture so humane – it was perturbing. "Good question, I suppose. But I have a better one… It will blow your mind away, Naruto."

"Huh?"

It was there, one inch away from him, its breath foul and putrid, like the intentions of those that had not once considered good an option. Naruto waited, anticipation in his veins, but also a sense of growing dread-

"When did I ever say the seal had caused it?"

Shock entered his features-"What? But you said-"

Kyuubi's lips curled into a contortion resembling of a smile. "I did no such thing, boy. The wall formed a week ago, but it wasn't behind the fit."

"What was then?"

"Why?" All laughter was gone now, replaced by revolt. "Why do you want to know?"

In outrage, Naruto grimaced. "Whatever for, fox? What kind of a stupid question is that? I need to know so I could stop it from doing that… thing again."

"That thing you say. Amazing, for you don't even know how to properly refer to that… _thing._"

"Fit, attack, whatever."

"Whatever is, ironically enough, the option closest to truth, Naruto." A deep rumble was heard, easily mistaken with laughter, but Naruto's insides swelled and under his skin – something slithered; this was no laughter, this was no game and he wasn't the puppet that had omitted its clothing, a rebel born, and the Kyuubi not the puppeteer guiding him through life, cackling along and making sure to hit every rock or dent in the road.

He was afraid. This beast and a representation of everyone's greatest fear, this majestic monster made up of chakra and generations old hatred – was scared out of its old, dark life.

Naruto suddenly felt that he didn't want to know; he wanted to turn back and sweetly sleep under the loving caress of ignorance, pretend he'd not seen the signs of fright in the fox's eyes, that he'd not taken notice of the net-like object flying above his head; he wished to indulge himself like those close to him had, turning a blind eye for long enough until it stopped to exist, tucked away into the furthest corners of his mind.

But…

_I'm being stupid. Get a hold of yourself, Uzumaki._

Resolve. He had it. In whichever warped and shrunken form, but he had it. With that resolve, he narrowed his eyes at the floating, blazing, as if set aflame head in front of him and put his foot down. "Look, I didn't come here to play games with you, Kyuubi. It – fit, attack, whatever or just that plain whatever… It doesn't matter. I know you have the answers. Right before it started, you came to me and told me to run. You _knew_ it was going to happen, you did, and that thing almost hurt everyone else."

It let out a scary howl, shrinking back between the bars, squeezed through and lost in the cage, but the outline of its almond-shaped eyes remained. "So you want to tackle it, is that it? With your noble reasons, noble, pure and kind heart, with your desire to help and preserve? Whatever you stand for – even if that is to become fabricated and dipped in gold, preserved for all eternity, fake for all we know and care, you want to do it?"

"Yes." Naruto stepped forward. "I want to do it. I need to."

"Let me guess… It is your duty."

He chuckled, dark, bitter – out of the blue, the surprising large and scaled bitterness in his voice leaving coarse trails in his throat as it was emitted. "I'd fought my whole life to get this… I'm not letting go now."

The fox let out a sound resembling of a sigh, the exhaustion barred in it surprising as well. If Naruto didn't know better, he'd be almost inclined to believe – this exact answer the fox had feared the most.

"Always," continued the beast. "Always just about the damn pride… Naruto. Always… Always. _Fine._" It lashed towards him, claws gripping the bars, its muzzle distorted as if to take on an expression of disgust, and its eyes large, eerie and penetrating. "I will give you what you want, Naruto." Yet then it slinked back, croaking like a wounded animal nearing its death, curling into a ball and assuming a most defensive position-

-the feeling of fright intensified.

Despite that, Naruto couldn't escape it any longer. He remained rooted to the ground, awaiting that answer, the belief he could take it – whatever IT was – now crumbling away like a corpse left for years in its coffin, six feet under and laid to waste by the grip of time, turning to dust-

-blown away by the gentlest of breezes.

And like in a trance, the millennia-old chakra beast continued, speaking in a melodic voice laced with an occasional growl to echo around, the echo immaculate and forcefully amiable – adding only to the whole ominous quality of it.

"Some time ago, the seal drummed to life. It had been doing so even before, subtly, however, but then it sprang to life, seeking to protect that which deserved it not – you. It built a wall, solid, strong, meant to protect again, yet all in vain. The wall broke. Cracks riddled it." It paused, tony crackling with frightening care-"I watched it from this cage, this sealing place, watched it break and the pieces fall apart… this, what you see above your head, is what is left of the seal; it's tired, worn out, almost as if it were real… In a sense, it is." Then a growl. "You two had no idea what you were doing, no idea how close you were to becoming god."

It could have been a dream sequence, this whole conversation, coming off so surreal and obscured by the intangible feeling that surrounded it. But Naruto knew better; the cutting words were as close to reality as he was to losing his sanity.

Further and further, his heart dropped below the sinking level, below the saving point, below the turning back idea – far too beyond his reach.

Kyuubi may have sensed this, for its vice relented, the vibes it emitted laden in as much care as it could muster, but behind its eyes furor brewed. "Don't, Naruto, don't; this display of pity and regret that you might just feel is too much for you to handle is too late now… it's too late. Listen, I'm not finished yet."

It prowled closer, invading his personal bubble-unwillingly, Naruto took a step back.

"You created something you had no control over. This seal became your impending doom, your harbinger of ruins… I waited, I knew. I knew you'd spiral downwards, both of you-but to think YOU would be the only one to suffer from it…" Darkly, it chuckled, amused for the sake of being amused, having nothing left, as Naruto suddenly knew, to do. "I'd thought Uchiha to go down first, but no, he found a way around, he seized his chances and he realized what you two had done. You lacked the common sense, however, you let yourself be consumed, the strength which you gave it becoming its and in turn it possessed you with it, leaving you no other choice but to yield in… How sad. How sorry… How pathetic to see you go down because of your own mistake."

He stuttered, meek-"What the hell are you talking about? My mistake? Why did I do? The thing… I."

"You caused it, Naruto."

"What?"

It stalked towards him, a mist of misfortune and death.

"You brought it upon yourself. You caused that fit. You called it towards you, called out to it. The seal had sought to protect you… from…"-a drop in strength, a drop in level, becoming a rustle of words-"… you."

Deny. Deny. Deny, refuse to acknowledge this absurdity, ignore these claims that dared insinuate he'd have-"Bullshit. Lies. I'd never-"

"Hurt yourself?" It gave him a large, Cheshire cat smile. "Funny you should say that, but it's only what you've been doing in years. Hurting yourself. _Yes._ Driving the blade deeper and deeper into your flesh each and every time, drawing blood so stark and dark coming from your very core – from you. Slicing and cutting and mutilating!" A helpless growl-"Killing yourself."

"…What? I don't… understand?"

Sympathy. He was getting – sympathy from the Devil himself.

"You are killing yourself, Naruto. Or, to specify and elaborate."

Like a tender lover seeking embrace and the intoxicating touch of its beloved, the fox moved closer and stopped an inch away.

"_You are dying, Naruto."_

And whispered this delirious sweet nothing.

"You have been dying for a while now."

And continued on its merciless rampage through his mind.

"Your mind can't take it any longer. For years you've been decaying, ever since that accident – one to suffer from lack of remembrance. For years he'd nurtured you, nourished, catered, helped. For years, didn't you see it? Naruto… The Uchiha was what had kept you alive."

No… No…

Knees. On the ground. Meeting it.

Kyuubi paid it no heed.

"Without him around, you will be dead soon. In less than a month."

No.

No… Nononono. No.

_I am NOT going to die, I am no-no…t._

He looked up-"I don't believe you, that's-that's just-you're lying-"

"Without your utmost, deepest knowledge, you'd turned the seal against you, fighting it when no fight was necessary, denying yourself the many gifts it offered and it wished not to see you hurt, stepping aside… The seal, you foolish, foolish little boy, not once struck against you. It had always been you, Naruto. Always you and no-one else but you."

The words echoed around, come home at last.

"Your own disbelief, your own doubt, your own greatest emotional turmoil had driven it to a corner, had cut that gaping wound in your heart – and each and every attack had been a pointless explosion of those emotions you'd held back… Throes of agony, oh woe is you. All you and you and YOU. Just you, Naruto, tormenting yourself deep inside, blaming the seal for everything there was, creating this thick, disgusting and fleshy, bloodied layer of hatred and self-pity around it, coating it in it, destroying it… Destroying that thing attached to your soul… Destroying yourself, for however can you survive with a chunk of you missing? Yet not a chunk – the seal is you... Marvelous, this tremendous error of one ingenious mind."

It breathed out, hypnotized.

"You are dying, Naruto. You really are. He'd kept you safe, had kept all at bay, even if he'd known, I assume, that he was only making it worse, postponing the inevitable, and the day when you snapped always loomed around the corner, the eternal sun on the horizon. Did you know, Naruto, did you ever notice, how much he'd sacrificed for you?"

"_Naruto, eat it, just eat it."_

"_Have you slept? Go to sleep."_

"_I'll keep guard, nap."_

"_Rest."_

"_Calm yourself."_

"_They're not looking, no-one is looking."_

"_I've made this for you, no eat it."_

"_You need to rest, you need to… Come, I'll rest with you."_

"_Naruto… Naruto… you are so stubborn, you do this to yourself…"_

"_I'm with you. I am always with you. Just as you are with me. Know this."_

"_Place your trust in me…"_

"_Always place your trust in me…"_

"_I wish you could open your eyes… Open them and see."_

"_Naruto…"_

Wetness.

On his face.

His hands hit the ground, body falling forward, and on all fours – he was, crawling the memories away.

"His days and nights were spent watching over you, removing any obstacle that could upset you… He knew what was going on, knew you were killing yourself… Fool. He only didn't know how to stop you. I imagine after years, that must drive one insane…"

_Insane enough, maybe, to betray…_

It rested, content with the truth. "There is no turning back now, it is already too late. The last attack was the last you will have survived. You're far too scarred. Each inch of you is littered with scars. Now, the only thing that remains – is slitting the wrists… And there is a blade positioned over either, dragged slowly across the flesh, slowly and repeatedly, the body juices spilling free from the wound it creates and it rejoices for it knows the heart and throat will come next… both, of course. Neither could escape its cold touch. Ha… It is, I'd say, almost poetic, Naruto, wouldn't you agree with me?"

_Is this why you left, Sasuke… Had you grown tired of a dying man's smell? Of the decay?_

"Imagine this… Own mistake. Own emotions, own error… I hear it is a ninja's greatest shame to be killed by own hand… Well, in your case, it won't be that simple, will it? The last time should have left a nice lasting impression, right?"

Ha… Haha.

Haha.

… _Right… Right. I know. I know… Don't you see I know?_

All those time his head had swam, those terrible aches in his chest, the incessant flow of agony in his veins, the torrent of prickling needles going in and out of his skin and flesh and all those times when he'd spent days clenching his teeth, holding it back, withstanding Sasuke's privileged wrath… And the last days before its grand arrival, when he'd felt the constant jolts of pain, when he'd felt it fry his senses, set them aflame…

_Right._

He leaned back, sat on his legs, looked ahead.

"I… I am dying."

He gulped. And-in his throat, no bile. In his stomach – no food. In his body – no will to fight this.

"I'm going to be killed… By my own… chakra, no?"

"Sliced, minced… Who knows, brat, who knows," said the fox, an absence of terror in its voice. "You will die and I will die along. Considering the magnitude of the last attack… I believe it obvious to assume – the next one will be the very last. You will die. I will die along. There's no part of me earning for survival now, seeing this wretched way of life… I am far too intertwined with you, far too deep in this myself… Although, unlike you, I will be spared the maddening, excruciating agony. I guess I should consider myself lucky, indeed." Having nothing else to do, it grinned, revealing the pearly white teeth dulled by detachment. "I will go down in a style."

Naruto stared at it, the mirroring chuckle caught in his throat and smothered.

"Yeah." He closed his eyes. "You will."

Did he think of it… the idea of drowning in pain, the idea of exploding in the most literal sense? In that gruesome, literal way? Of all chakra, tainted, sullied by pity and lack of remorse, by all that he'd forced down own throat, by every cell in his body he'd turned against self, erupting from him. Slice and dice, indeed.

Slice and dice, indeed…

_When did I… When did I ever start this? Where does this sick stale tale begin? When did I ever turn myself against myself? Ha._

Hoping to gain nothing from it, simply the very act fueling his thoughts, he met Kyuubi's eyes.

And in them, to his horror, to his amusement, to all that was belated and worth trash, saw pity.

"Naruto-kun… Naruto… Naruto-kun, you are- you are-Naruto kun!"

He blinked.

And he was looking at Sai again, Kyuubi gone, corridor gone, gate gone, ignorance.

Gone.

Sai was crouching down next to him, too close again, just an inch separating their faces. Naruto's face formed a smile as he reached out-Sai was tempted to flinch, recalling all those times when he'd been punished for his awkwardness, but this time Naruto's hand rested on his cheek, cupping it and sliding down to the shoulder.

_I have no-one to blame but me. _

"Thank you for watching over me, Sai."

Startled, confused, Sai blinked, maybe thinking back to all his books teaching how to socialize, teaching the arts of interpretation of human speech pattern and behavior, and maybe there was little on this particular situation they were dancing in, or too much and Sai wasn't sure whether to apply it here. Maybe, Naruto would never see him figure it out.

Moments later, as Naruto moved to stand up, Sai snapped out of his reverie. "Naruto-kun, you're crying."

Naruto rose to his feet, idly swiping a finger across his cheek, one tear smeared, and the other stuck on the tip. "Yeah. Looks like it. I am. Ha…" Brightly, helplessly, he grinned. "It's okay."

"Uh, Naruto-kun, I-I know tears or not good. These are not the tears of happiness, I am assuming, which would pardon your current state and their very presence, unless you and nine tails had formed a close, intimate bond which… which I doubt you had." Cutely, he fumbled around for words, digging deep into his mind to drag out any helpful information he might have had. "I guess I'm trying to say that, that-"

"You're worried," Naruto finished for him, knowingly wistful, and he walked towards the railing, so slowly like he'd never walked before, each step measured, each step surveyed like he was walking for the first time in his life.

_I'd always thought I knew this world… I was wrong. I lived in an elaborate dream… Now… Looking at my reflection, what am I? I wish I could see – past it… Now. Now. It feels like I'm not afraid of what I'll see. Now it feels like… I am ready to face this reality._

Sai muttered something, panicky, and Naruto knew he was taking advantage of his clueless little mind and of those clues scattered around and Sai's inability to put them together with confidence; Sai didn't know, wasn't sure – if he was making the right steps, and Naruto knew as well – he wouldn't be there to guide him. Never. Ever. Had been…

"I'm sorry, Sai. I am…"

Stunned silence. And the wind blowing their thoughts away, drying their tears.

Sai's future.

Kyuubi's past.

Naruto's present.

_Always stuck on the wrong side of the glass, never knowing where I belong… This. This that I'd caused for myself… This…_

_Now I know where it belongs._

_I do… I do…_

**You do. And maybe for that, it's not too late, Naruto.**

He jumped, returned. Sai in tow, all in silence. In bed he lay and ate. And slept.

_I know where I belong. _

_I am._

_Not of this world… Not anymore._

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Shikamaru uncertainly trudged towards the hospital room, pushing the door open, figure under constant scrutiny of the guards all around-

-the Hokage was inside.

Clad in his robes, looking ready to win the war.

In vain, childish hope, Shikamaru's heart skipped a beat.

Over his shoulder, Naruto looked at him, sleepy tenderness on his face, and then-"Shikamaru, there is something I have to do."

Still hoping, that sensation too bold and gleeful to be put down easily by those words, Shikamaru walked over to him, the door behind him sealed shut.

"What is it?"

"I'd thought about it before. Many times. Never had the courage, I guess." Naruto stepped closer, on his face-

"Oh? You lacking courage, that's hard to imagine."

"Heh." A lifeless, vivid grin, like from a fairy tale. "That's a very pretty idea."

"Pretty… Maybe. So what was it?"

"It's something I want to do. Now… Well, now is the time."

Shikamaru humored him. "Now or never?"

"Yeah."

And wished he hadn't. Hope diminished, fainted. What was it, that exact expression on his face… If Naruto's behavior was the testament to anything, then-

_Was it is, if I could put my finger on it-_

Naruto placed a hand on his forehead. In the split second before it reached his skin, Shikamaru saw a glimmer of red-

-before he could act, a force brought him down on his knees, chakra surging throughout his body, creating a hurricane of freezing pain-

"It's time to liberate, Shikamaru."

What.

"Time to be free."

_Naruto, what are you… doing…_

He was smiling.

Just… smiling.

"Be free, Shikamaru. At last… _Be a man freed."_

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, but the story idea is mine alone.

**A/N:** Beautiful, beautiful reviews… Amazing. I can't thank you people enough. And apparently, I managed to properly convey – without kisses and sex – the bond between Naruto and Sasuke. Oh, my life feels almost complete now… Unfortunately, right? Naruto can't say the same. I am glad for the reviews, but I am not glad for Naruto's fate. This chapter does make me sad. I am certain you should have seen it coming, too. If the last chapter wasn't a clear giveaway, then the previous hints for sure. I mean…

Naruto is _dying._

I guess that now – more than ever, ever before – the truth of the seal and Sasuke and Naruto's bond needs to be revealed. After all, one month left. Just one month. And working with how I pace my story, sometimes with a week lost… Naruto might just have a few chapters left, eh? I am not sure what else to say, just that… We all know already and this should go without saying – that Naruto won't be sharing this bitter truth with anyone.

I just fear for him now; without Sasuke, without anyone, will Naruto really die alone, will he truly become – the victim of sole?

Should he perish, will Sasuke as well follow in his footsteps? _Is this the true meaning of Sole?_

Do you like, do you hate? What do you think? Remember to review and let me know what you think.

_In next chapter, death bed or not, Naruto strikes back, seemingly rejuvenated, and people love him for that – but have learned already the curse of ignorance… And Ino's love story, sap, maybe, tragic or not, is finally revealed. In next chapter, learn the meaning of life. _

**Rating:** PG-13 for themes, blood, swearwords, and **sexual undertones.**

Thanks for reading. Remember to R&R! x)

If you have any questions, add them in a review or message me personally :)


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter_Forteen

_I d__**ou**__bt_

"Did I really need you that much… Sasuke?"

_They were returning, although the "return" part was tricky; it suggested something they didn't get quite understand, but one thing was for sure – another mission as chuunin had gone successfully, even if – even if the one to have observed their progress had shaken his head numerous times during the mission, suggesting something was… wrong? Naruto didn't ask. He realized that ages ago, he would have felt madly in fury with the man for looking at them in that filthy, judgmental way, but this time he did not care. Not one bit. And Sasuke was by his side, walking solemnly down the long road that led from the Hokage tower to their home. Home. They were taking a detour, straying off the road, walking elsewhere and prolonging the journey by at least an hour, reaching home down a different road – for reasons indisputable and strange._

_For the simple need to be alone._

_Sasuke wasn't speaking, hadn't said a word in long minutes. He hated every trip to the office, hated the way Tsunade would scrutinize them with eyes only and congratulate them in a lifeless voice on yet another success. She, too, hated speaking in his presence, only through clenched teeth releasing a string of words that with their curtness and succinct quality reminded Naruto of curses. It was necessary they'd need time to get over it, or that it'd take him a while to make Sasuke see she couldn't ever get close to him, less alone under his ivory, porcelain skin._

_Naruto looked over at Sasuke. Still not speaking… Precious. _

_There was a small wall by their side, built low and adorned by various bushes and flowers, decorated this way to induce a will for life and certain blasphemous thoughts of ever-lasting peace. Naruto glanced at it from the corner of his eyes, the weight of this world he made contact with each step holding him back, and without word he jumped on the narrow ledge, balancing dangerously at first, body tipping side to side like a pendulum, before he steadied himself and – boldly, stepped onwards._

_That got Sasuke's attention. He looked at him, coal eyes unspeakably mesmerizing, and Naruto knew he was questioned silently, no words ever daring to penetrate this still air between them, yet if the air was still, he'd make it move._

_For many long moments, they continued without a word, Naruto's arms spread out in a redundant attempt to keep his stability, knowing already he didn't need it – yet walking like this, eagle-spread and those miserable inches off the ground, made him feel so immensely and starkly free, like he would leave the ground and fly far, far away… Far away from this world, but not without Sasuke._

_Suddenly, he overstepped, not paying attention, body falling to one side-_

_-Sasuke's hand propped him back up, pressed against his side, the other holding his arm, and when Naruto had regained his balance, the hand wrapped closely around his wrist slid down, but the other remained, their hands touching._

_In his chest, strange warmth blossomed. Grinning broadly, he looked at Sasuke whose expression was of mild irritation and smugness, like he'd relish in these small gestures of prowess no matter what insignificance screamed at them._

_The warmth increased, flooding his insides, making the heart fervently thump like a mad man on his insane mission to ruin all before mellowed down, singing along a peaceful and tranquil melody._

_It was this silence of the touch that eventually broke them out of the stupor._

"_Ne, Sasuke…"_

"_Don't fall."_

"_Won't," he replied, quick. "You'll hold me."_

"_Of course."_

_No mockery, just stating the obvious. Naruto's grin widened, turning innocuous and pure, until a smile was formed in its stead._

_His heart continued to thump, thump, thump, under Sasuke's merciless, unwavering eyes._

_No wind, only the sun walked along, but he thought it'd shrunk, put to shame by something or turned coy by this sight, and he slowed down, walking at a snail's pace, comically putting one foot around the other, the tips of his fingers impacting first and the heel compliantly following afterwards, playing this strange game._

"_Mission went well," he commented after a while._

"_It did."_

"_Next one won't come for a while. We have time. Let's go spar."_

"_No."_

_He pouted. "Why not?"_

"_Fine."_

_He pouted stronger. "Why yes?"_

_Sasuke scoffed. "You're upset when I say no, upset when I say yes. Choose."_

"_No," corrected him Naruto, shooting daggers at Sasuke and not meaning one of them. "I don't like it when you aimlessly agree with something just to appease me. If you don't want to spar, tis okay, just – why? What would you rather do?"_

_Sasuke Uchiha, not going power-mad. Old man Sarutobi would have laughed himself to death. _

_Sasuke shrugged. "Anything else, really."_

"_Fine. Then…" In his eyes, the devil cackled. "Let's play."_

_Sasuke had maybe a second or two to react and fight back, but his efforts lacked fire; Naruto halted in his steps, grabbed Sasuke by his hand and tugged him over, and only slightly did the other yank it back, before one last push brought him closer and instinctively Sasuke put his foot up, Naruto's hands forcing the body along until he was standing on the ledge as well, slightly crouched, body stiff and an expression of empty anger on his face._

_Naruto snickered. "Come."_

"_Is this your idea of playing?"_

"_Yes. Come."_

_He didn't let go of Sasuke's hand, hefting it over his shoulder like a bag, fingers curling around the other's to keep him there, and Sasuke didn't try to free himself. Then Naruto stepped onwards, Sasuke behind him – always behind him, one or two steps separating them. He marched on, proud and happy, not knowing why or why even Sasuke relented, but he felt the man's warm hand on his shoulder. _

_After a while, that disappeared, sliding back to hang limply by Sasuke's side. "How does this compute into having fun, Naruto?"_

"_I don't know. But it's fun, no?"_

"_How is it fun-"_

_Naruto pointed a finger to their right. "Look."_

_Konoha was there, laid out in front of them like their own private playground, and there he glimpsed the tower, there the old academy, there the Uchiha district, there his old house – there the home a substitution for the real thing._

_They had taken a detour. A detour around Konoha._

"_It looks nice this way."_

_Sasuke quirked an eyebrow. "Late morning sun, no wind, good weather."_

_Naruto laughed. "No. From this far away."_

_Sasuke blinked and stopped, his hand grasped firmly around Naruto's shoulder and beckoning him to stop as well. "Naruto, don't think this way."_

_Gingerly, Naruto smiled and looked around. "Nah… I'm not. It's just nice this way, you know? Looks really, really pretty… And, ha! The Hokage monument…" He crouched down and set on the ledge, feet dangling above ground. "One day, my face will be carved into the stone as well."_

"_You haven't given up yet, have you." No question. Sasuke sat down next to him._

"_No," he answered, leaning forward. "I'll never give up on this dream. Although it feels like I'm still too far away from it…" These days, villagers avoided him again, not because of what had been contained in his inside, but what he had attached to his side._

_They no longer cherished the Uchiha name as they'd used to. Probably, memories of Sasuke intent upon wiping them out weren't as keen on leaving as they'd been in Naruto's case. Then again, they, the people, lacked what Naruto had._

"_Are you." Sasuke's body tensed. He was blaming himself. In his own, strange, stoic and calm way, he'd do that every now and then, knowing well where this new mistrust stemmed from, and Naruto smiled and nudged him in the side, drawing an estranged look from the man._

"_Jeez, Sasuke, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were raging inside."_

"_And do you?"_

_Déjà vu. So sweet. Naruto, cheeky, poked Sasuke in the cheek, the jab as tender as his intentions, and a great smile blossomed on his face as the cheek gave away under the pressure; despite all, Sasuke was soft and warm as anyone else and no hearsay would ever persuade Naruto of otherwise._

"_I do."_

"_Do you." Sasuke grasped Naruto's finger, removing it from close vicinity of his face but the touch too fleeting to be considered pitied with anger. "So what do you think then?"_

_Naruto beamed at him and leaned in, their eyes so close he could have counted all lashes in one breath on a whim, all the dots on Sasuke's face and all the strands defiantly lining up on the cheeks. "They're being stupid, of course. I don't care, you know?" Cutely, he cocked his head to the side. "I'll become the Hokage one day. I know. I've set my eyes on that title, man. Well, not the title itself… It's not about the title but what holds. The power to protect."_

"_If it weren't for me, you would have been made Hokage upon Madara's death."_

_Sasuke wouldn't let go… Sweetly, Naruto brushed his nose against Sasuke's, the contact of the tips sending heated tides all across his body. "Self-deprecation doesn't suit you."_

"_On the contrary, Naruto," replied the man, lifting a hand to tenderly to cup Naruto's cheek and brush, for a change, his lips against Naruto's in a breeze and a butterfly-like kiss; at once, Naruto's heart skipped a beat. "I'm quite inclined to believe the brooding, dark and solitary man thing suits me the most."_

_Was he… teasing? Flirting? Was this flirting?_

_Naruto sulked. "Oi, oi, no repetition of the meadow thing, okay?"_

"_Okay."_

_The liar, he broke that promise._

_Under the sun, seated on the ledge, above Konoha, with the convenient arrival of the wind, they leaned in. And the wind truly was convenient, as it shielded their faces, leaves and such flying by, their hair obscuring anyone's line of sight, like the world had deemed not one soul worthy of this sight. Maybe they kissed, maybe they tenderly touched, leaned into a hug, or maybe this and other that, and maybe Naruto's heart did not beat just for him – maybe Naruto did not realize this, yet as a sharp pang stung him, he did and the beats could only spell Him._

_He pulled back, features contorted by a regretting, denying frown. "Sasuke, don't…"_

"_Why?" Another hand cupped his cheek._

_Naruto grimaced, pitying. "Just don't. It's wrong, that's all."He moved to turn away-_

_-Sasuke forced his head back and he felt fear for what if he tried it again, did that wrongness embodied and pressed their faces close-_

_-but Sasuke tucked a strand of blond hair behind Naruto's ear in a wasted and redundant gesture, eyes open in pitch black regret, the feathery touch of his hand making dozens of butterflies wantonly flutter about. "It is."_

"_Yeah."_

_They separated, sitting in silence, shuddering, shaky breaths taken, until a force beckoned Naruto to look down and in the small place between them he saw their hands had inched closer, the pinkies clasped in a miniature, cutesy and darling hug._

_Against his wishes, he laughed. _

_Sasuke was looking at him, on his face all thoughts clearly depicted. "It is wrong, Naruto."_

_Naruto sighed, happy inside. "Yeah… But whatever."_

"_Whatever," echoed the man, one brow arched in alleged defiance. _

_Naruto nodded. "Yeah." Yeah… Boldly, he reached out and held Sasuke's hand in his, giddy, peachy and such, a strange urge to laugh madly invading his thoughts, creating the look of furthermost happiness on his face. _

"_Sasuke… If I ever become the Hokage… I will need an advisor."_

"_I will become one for you."_

_Shikamaru._

_He'd meant to say Shikamaru. As some kind of a pretentious, superfluous game to see if Naruto would correct him, to see if they're share that sentiment, but he'd crowned himself instead, giving a freeway to his innermost thoughts and not shielding them away._

_Still, he appeared sullen, dark and stark, like a statue that had just come to life, the idea of feeling foreign to it. Yet Naruto knew better, sensing the myriad of emotions Sasuke didn't have problems expressing, per se, as it was out of his own free will that he opted for a path less agreeably conventional, not exactly in a dire need of some counseling or schooling. _

_Nah… Sasuke was alright the way he was now. Just alright. _

_Alright and Right._

_At the same time, they both grinned at each other – Sasuke's faint and wan, Naruto's larger than life for both of them – and looked down at Konoha, hearts beating in a synchronized melody, thoughts following the same course of action, blood flow only meant for the other._

_At the same time, they thought the same thing._

"_The world is ours for the taking."_

Naruto outstretched his hand in front of him, looking at the stream of lighting sidestepping by the long digits, at the dark shadows cast on his palm.

Urged, driven and motivated, he grasped the shadow in his hand.

A voice behind him-"Hokage-sama, they're waiting for you. Actually, they-"

_I guess at one point, I did._

He turned around, smiling solemnly at the man. "They started without me. Time to wreck the party, don't you think so?"

And walked past him.

_Not any longer._

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

They'd deliberately omitted to mention the organizing of another party, which was understandable for sure, but as justified as their fears were, he had little time to care. The discovery of his looming demise promoted imperative actions to be taken, no excuses and no irresponsible breaks possible. Of course they'd freak out, having expected him to wheeze in that makeshift, temporary death bed for a while longer as they advised each other in hushed whispers on the best next action taken, but again – no time for that. Maybe he stopped to think about it for a second, knowing well what freaked out looks he'd get upon his entrance since, hell, even the jounin trailing after him, so nervous Naruto thought it contagious, wore a similar look on his face already; practicing the man was, Naruto supposed, preparing for the moment Naruto made his glorious entrance and kicked the door open. He'd told them about that, too, the door kicking part, and they'd appeared flabbergasted, paling considerably and resembling walls. A pity he'd not joked.

_Well, it's never too late to a share a few laughs over a cup of tea, right?_

Naruto thought that, grinning largely – largely, tremendously, magnificently and all that no-one would usually correlate with grinning – at the ANBU guards positioned at the door and their expression may have or may have not resembled the white masks worn on their faces before he just walked past them without word-

-and threw the door open.

And frowned.

_Should have so kicked it open, man,_ he thought sourly to himself, a noncommittal shrug following, ignorance hefty in the surroundings permitting him to take notice of the sudden silence that followed his entry.

_And well, well, well, what do we have here…_

Smug, he smirked, eyes landing on each upturned face staring him down with shock, feeling rejuvenated by the sight of those fools that would have dubbed him dead. Ah, the never-ending coitus of assumptions, it really did make quite a lot of noise.

Taking advantage of their momentary shock yet to dissipate, he scanned the room for familiar faces, recognizing all, but looking for two very specific grimaces required to perfect his performance. There, seconds later, he found them, the Elders like twins attached at a hip sitting at the Hokage's table where he'd sat not the long ago, the great seat reserved for him largely unoccupied and vacant, the Elders by either side, inching only inconspicuously closer towards the titular throne.

_Well, well, well indeed…_

Naruto pointed a finger at them. "You, farts. I came to talk to you two."

With that, the shock was gone. A collective gasp was heard, melody to Naruto's ears, and both Elders sat up straight, looking him in the eye-

-Naruto doubled over, a pained moan echoing around-

"Hokage-sama!"

-and leaned right back, smiling and waving them off. "Joking, joking, I'm fine."

Deadpan stares accusing him of treachery burned holes in his back. Sheepish, Naruto scratched the back of his neck. "Jeez, everyone, I'm fine, honest. Now-"

Furious, emitting poisonous waves of anger, Tsunade stood up. "Naruto, this is one sick and bad joke-"

He didn't let her finish, wistful and light. "Hokage-sama. It's Hokage-sama for you."

Shell-shocked and confused, she stared at him, quieted, and Naruto stepped further into the room, standing in its middle, a stance of arrogance assumed. "I was thinking," he started in a booming, strong voice, fixated only on the two guilty, glad to see that one tiny squirm that twitched through their hands. "About our last conversation. I mean, before I did the whole 'I'm going to bleed out on you because that's what I do best' thing. Right before then, when you were bombarding me with questions and so on… I was thinking. You know, when you're lying in bed, feeling like you're about to die and no part of you feels like objecting, you think a lot. And you think, maybe, a bit too much."

At own leisure and like the king of the world he stepped forward, one tiny, grueling, decisive step at a time, marking this territory as his own, holding everyone present captive.

"Sasuke and I. Sasuke and I… Oh, boy, did I think a bit too much on that. And I reached this strange, strange, totally strange conclusion. Actually, it's kind of funny, you see? But it makes sense. You would have held me responsible for something I didn't cause. You… would have made me the scapegoat, shifted all blame on me. Convenient, convenient, really convenient. I applaud you for that. Only mentally, however, and that's all you'll ever get from me. If I were to express it physically,"-he bared his teeth, lips drawn back, a low snarl in his words,-"you would be flying out this window right now."

Outraged, they tried to express their disapproval and all Naruto did was stare down them until they froze and planted their lovely fat backsides stuffed with prejudice on the ground where they belonged again.

Seated properly, silenced for another while, Naruto grinned and melodramatically shrugged. "See… Sasuke and I… Sasuke and I wouldn't have happened. Whatever that Sasuke and I thing points to… You know what? We did nothing. We didn't have to. After all, you were kind enough to remove all the obstacles for us, you know?" Confusion hung in the air like a smell of over-cooked dinner, spreading around and infecting even the others, until in consensual inquiry they watched him. "You were scared like stupid mofos of us, you know you were. You never managed to fit Sasuke into your game of shogi, he always acted independently. And as for me? I'd like to think that I fit for a short moment, but nothing is forever. So you put us together, you shoved me down his throat and him down mine, because this was your justified way of dealing with a problem you didn't know how to tackle. It just eluded you completely, the idea of asking for forgiveness and waiting to earn it and really? It was just that simple. For a year you kept Sasuke locked up, each day further away from a solution, until time started to press against you and the pressure from people and baa-chan forced you to act. So, say, why not just put the Uchiha brat and Kyuubi together?"

They couldn't speak back. Confrontations with the truth, after all, never boded well with people.

Naruto made a vague gesture with his hands, as if pointing to left and right, before it turned into one fat and nasty shrug that said – _look at me give a damn_.

"You could have done so many different things, tried to maintain a connection with Sasuke, tried to establish him as a citizen of Konoha that had repented already, but instead you made it apparent you didn't consider him more than filth. And, on top of that, you put him with me… You see, if you'd not, if you had, for example, assigned him to a proper team, didn't block his progress, if you'd given him a chance, then he and I, the way we are now, would have _never happened_. Slowly and eventually, he would have built his bonds with people and those people would have been the obstacle. The people, the different accommodations, living conditions, all those other things would have slowed down the progress of he and I founding this sick obsession with each other. But _you_ were kind enough to remove those things. You were kind enough to make it easier for us to become obsessed, to build our lives solely around each other. There was no-one to stop us, no-one to tell us right from wrong, to at least briefly comment on us… No-one. _All thanks to you._"

The hands fell back to hang by his side.

"Sasuke and I had a road ahead of us which you'd cleared of every obstacle. It's no wonder we reached the state we're in right now. It's just natural we'd do this, you know? Rely on each other so much… After all… Secluded, separated from the rest of this society, cut off from all other sources of joy, of life, of people…" Features softened, saddened. "We only did what we could do, to survive, to live on… I guess we would have reached this state no matter, even with someone else on our team, even with friends, even with you breathing down on our necks, even with Sasuke and I living elsewhere and not together… But slower. Slower, one step at a time, creating a comfortable, stable relationship that everyone was content with, not this sack of bullshit, this hindering craze…"

A pause.

A deep breath.

And he killed them all with his glare.

"_You caused this_. You caused this. This pain and bullshit. You'd blame us for being only human. I spit on you. Or I would- but it'd be just a waste. You're not even worth that. You'd have burned me at stake, would have convicted me, charged me with treason and all for your own mistake, all because you were too old, too convinced of your own truth to see we'd only acted human. Too inane, stupid, idiotic, too much as the obnoxious, damn old farts I pegged you as. We built this bond with your pile of lies underneath us, with them the very foundation of our obsession and the haphazard we were forced to live it. Your doing was the constant reminder what we were to you and how incredibly scared you were of us. Because of, Elders, we reached this stalemate."

Someone shifted, or tried to- semi-shift, they were cut off by own staggering mind.

_This is being mind-fucked, my friends._

Naruto closed his eyes. "And I will not hold you responsible for that…" Opened then next with new breath in them. "Because I can't. Now, it doesn't matter who let what happen. If so, we'd all be hung, all beheaded by our own guilt. I didn't come here to guilt-trip you, but to clarify and take you off your high horse. No-one in this country is more than anyone else. We are all equal and together we stand."

He looked at their faces, at their stunned, bewildered, love-struck faces that worshiped him where he stood and would have built him a temple for all eternity, would have loved to love him this blindly, would have laid down their lives just to hear these words once more at a time again.

He was committed to his words, to his belief. He was a dying man having his very last speech.

He was the pillar of support, that Kage come back home at last, the wayward son on the doorstep kneeling down and pleading to be forgiven, that pregnant daughter clutching her stomach and swearing to be a better mother than she was a girl, that cheating husband kissing his wife goodnight, swearing on her tender curls a better future for their friendship, if the sanctity of their marriage he had disturbed.

The Elders met his unwavering gaze, unspeakable truths and hatreds and semi-deaths etched into their faces, but he saw all melt away as their pride had been shattered, and bared, standing naked in the wind flowing from behind his back, they scooted away, freeing his spot and Naruto assumed his rightful seat as the lord of this country.

Still, no-one had spoken, their respect turned as corporeal as the heaving truth of his words.

Eventually, he looked at them one last time with this perturbing scrutiny in his eyes, before he sat back comfortably, put his hands on his knees and relaxed.

"Now, Uchiha Sasuke poses a threat to us all. We won't make him pay because we're blood-thirsty monsters lying in their wake, but because he tried to threaten our vigilance and stability and wrought havoc in the hearts of our people. No-one has the right to hurt another human. We will stop this path of destruction he's walking down again. To preserve our nation and this peace."

A jounin leaned formed, hands planted firmly against the table. "We will stop Uchiha Sasuke."

"For the last time…" continued another man uncertainly and many shared his worries, nodding.

Naruto pursed his lips into a thin line.

"Sai tells us you spoke to Kyuubi," spoke Kakashi and Naruto afforded the mistake of sending a look at Sai who was seated right next to him – but Sai blinked and gave a minuscule, most unnoticeable shake of his head.

Naruto's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, I did."

Kakashi stared at him. "What did it say?"

_Ah… Kakashi-sensei, everyone… forgive me for this one last lie._

Without a blink, without a crease on his face, Naruto answered. "I'd approached the matter of Sasuke with spite. Even if he did betray Konoha, it wasn't right of me and a part of me still considers him someone of the same blood. The seal reacted to that. I am never meant to hurt anyone in this country but protect them no matter what. My burden which I accepted whole-heartedly lies in unconditional protection distributed to anyone a soul. For that reason, as I viewed Sasuke with resentment and wished him death, the seal considered me a traitor."

"It got that violent at the slightest notion of…" Yamato didn't manage to finish.

A horrified murmur went through the crowd, anchoring this belief. Naruto slid back, expression thoughtful and enraptured by unease. "Yeah. I thought it wouldn't. Well, I stood corrected."

"So… no more threats then?" A member of the Hyuuga clan inquired in a soft, careful voice. "It won't happen again?"

"You will be fine… Completely fine?" Tsunade added, in her voice a hint of terrifying, gut-wrenching horror.

Before Naruto's eyes, the memory of her fear flashed – and her face spelling _don't die on me here please_ and the lips parted in a blood-curling, deaf shriek…

_I'm sorry, baa-chan… I'm sorry for this._

He meant to open his mouth, speak up- a movement at the door briefly caught his attention and looking directly at it for a second, he anchored it even further. It – that white lie.

"I'm alright. It'll never happen again. It was a mistake of my part, the result of my folly, an erroneous action to never transpire again. I assure you of that."

Who in their right mind would express mistrust, who in their heart would be able to mold anything at least somewhat resembling of doubt when he spoke this firmly, when he was their father and brother, their best friend and lover, their cherished, long-awaited leader and captain of the ship?

They rejoiced and suspension was released, all their reliefs and worries mingling together to create a thick layer of pure, unadulterated joy.

Naruto smiled. In a way, having gone this far, he had no other choice.

And in the far corner of the room, a spitting image of Him stood, leaning against the wall, hands crossed over his chest and a perfect mask of stoicism on his face.

If Naruto didn't know better, he'd truly believe Sasuke had come back. Instead, he would suffer of this vivid image, of this… painful, hurting hallucination.

His insides swam.

The fake met his eyes and shook his head.

Liars are the worst of criminals. In this world, they don't sow, they don't mend, they don't fix, they do nothing else.

But bring more pain.

They are the worst.

And they will not escape their punishment.

Naruto's heart, at that moment, surrounded by this jolly folk, by their wide smiles, by their hopes and dreams of a brighter future for their daughters and sons, by their animated voices of what to do and how we glad we all are to have you back, by the release of their fears, bled.

A shredding of tissue – the subsequent healing and the subtly clenched fists, a gesture that went by unnoticed, only the Fake one acknowledged this sign of pain, only He knew what Naruto felt.

_I am sorry, Sasuke. I am sorry for this lie… _

_I am sorry that like this, you will stay with me until the last moment of my sorry, short… life._

_I am sorry._

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

They were having a tea party, even if Sakura and Ino would deny that. It was a conference, they both thought, one of gravest importance, because they seldom ever had the opportunity to meet the family, and Chouji was a prime example of how one should settle down and live a nuclear family life. His wife, Yumiko, her belly large and protruding, busied around, bringing them green tea and cookies flavored like water melon, freshly baked and still steamy hot, threatening to bake them even more if they so ever dared think of snack food. She was a busy body, an overbearing mother hen, but an endearing one, a soul as gentle as Chouji, always a bright smile on her face and radiance, the aftermath of this wondrous life, emanating from her in waves.

Neither Ino nor Sakura could ever say no to that, even if their "conference" was an exaggeration. Sakura would stand her ground, however, having grown tired of all the seriousness of their meetings, the murky looks and gloomy faces, of the bad news too good to be good and perpetually spicy and bitter. Those things left for sure a bitter taste on her tongue and she couldn't remember the last time she'd had fun, so wanting to take a break from these endeavors of grow-ups, she'd cutely requested a meeting with Chouji and his round, heavily pregnant wife, knowing she'd been in Konoha for a while now and that Ino, now more than ever before, needed another of a similar situation in her proxy to soothe her growing worries.

Judging by Ino's positively gleeful expression, it helped; she was glowing as much as Yumiko, gladly accepting all cookies and pieces of advice, no longer afraid for her figure and smiling brighter each time her belly grew larger.

Sakura giggled in a way she hadn't in ages, and smiled at Yumiko gladly. "Thank you, for your hospitality, Yumiko-san," she chirped, blushing furiously as Yumiko's glow almost blinded her.

The woman offered Ino a new batch of flavored, sweet, heavenly delicious cookies, before skipping off to Chouji, who attempted to sweep her off her feet and onto his lap, but slippery she was, running away with a blush and giggle, so he stood up instead and hugged her, the metal food tray in her hands almost dropped to the ground.

Ino and Sakura shared a look.

_This is too cute to be true,_ thought Sakura, nibbling on her cookie, the change in Chouji significant and almost surreal, and she felt alienated from this happy lot, knowing that without any relationship to sustain her life force, she could be as easily forgotten and kicked out of the group; threatened mildly though she felt, loathe she was to admit it out loud, instead shunning the feeling away and getting ready for a nice a cook-out session with Yumiko the woman had been threatening them with for a while.

"Well, everyone, I hope you have everything you need," sighed Yumiko happily, a healthy color in her cheeks. "Anata, do you need anything?"

Chouji blinked and shook his head, seating himself down onto the couch again; Sakura found herself appreciating his modesty and the fact he'd offered them his two armchairs instead, for she reckoned as the head of this family he'd have liked to keep those to himself, dubbing them the royal seats reserved solely for him. Instead, he remained slouched over the sofa, occupying little place, humble in nature still and trying to offer them as much as their little hearts craved for.

_Ahhh… Why don't I have anyone? Hmmmm…_

Slightly preoccupied by her own dread of no love life, no romance, she didn't notice when someone rambunctiously knocked on the front door, until Yumiko twirled around like a flower, sang softly "I'll get it, Anata" and a furious blush blossomed on Chouji's face.

As Yumiko disappeared to greet the visitor, Sakura drew her legs to her chest, nestled on the armchair like a self-proclaimed queen, and leaned to Chouji with a devious, Cheshire cat smile on her face. "Ohh, you love being called Anata, don't you?"

Ino giggled when Chouji's blush worsened, but Chouji handled it well, taking a hearty sip from his tea instead of indulging their petulant curiosity. After all, the answer was more than obvious.

Intent upon enjoying this evening, already filled to the brims with many ecstatic expectations, Sakura reached for her own cup, but then-

"Anata, Shikamaru-san is here."-Yumiko's soft undertones drifted into the air. At once, all looked at the man – at the solemn man with a constipated look on his face, one to dissolve somewhat as he glanced the present party and finally saw Chouji.

"Oh, Shikamaru, come sit down," said Chouji, Shikamaru's lips twitching into a tentative smile.

Something called to put out the mirth in Sakura's chest, and she shunned it away, ushering it out as she'd not had this much fun in ages, but then, she guessed, the very source would need to part, and she had an inkling Shikamaru's dark nature, perpetual these days, was reasoned. Maybe too reasoned.

Suppressing a sigh, she settled back, tea forgotten.

Out of the four people in the room, only Ino seemed oblivious to what Shikamaru had brought along, jumping to life and glowing stronger than ever before, until Shikamaru's eyes rested on her and his lips formed a lopsided, amused grin.

That was when she blushed and tittered stupidly, a helpless girl almost in love.

Sakura was stunned.

_When did this happen? Ino and… Shikamaru? But she… Whoa. Mission: find out what's happening between them. Oh, wait, could this be…?_

A suspicious look was thrown into Shikamaru's direction.

_Shikamaru, you better not be the father…_

Oblivious to her thoughts, a small conversation was going on in the background.

"How are you doing these days, Shikamaru?" Chouji was asking.

"Well, I suppose," replied Shikamaru, eyes, as Sakura saw, instinctively looking for Ino's, and her suspicions grew bigger.

_What IS going on between them… They can't be, can they?_

Paranoid to the max, she watched for any possible signs of something more, until a part of the conversation reached her ears.

"-pale, you didn't even attend today's meeting. Are you sure you're okay?"

She blinked, realizing Ino was looking concerned, and she looked at Shikamaru, the heaviness in her chest back.

"Shikamaru? Are you okay?" she asked, just a tiny bit guilty for having suspected him of something impossible, and he looked at her, star-struck, gazing in that numb sense, like a recent discovery had left his blood cold.

Instantly, hers turned into ice and she grabbed the seat she sat on.

Shikamaru blinked, shook his head. "Huh…" A long, awkward pause. Yumiko hovered in the doorway, emitting worry, and Chouji was no less affected.

Eventually, Shikamaru spoke and his words brought even more confusion.

"Did you know that Naruto and Sasuke exchanged chakras? They dug into their chakra reservoirs accessible from their minds and exchanged a small piece, yet they left something behind, like a thread between them… It's how the seal was formed. In Naruto's dying state, the blood and soul pact was formed. It's miraculous, I think, really, even ingenious… And the fact Naruto had suggested it chills me to the bone. He came up with it, with this particular way, even if the idea to form a deal was first derived from Sasuke's mind. At least, that's what Naruto told me."

They all stared, confused.

"Well," started Ino, smiling awkwardly. "We didn't know that, no? Why tell us now?"

He looked at her meaningfully.

Then at Sakura, then at Chouji-

-it hit them all at once.

Sakura's feet turned into stone; had she been standing, they would have caused her fall. "Shikamaru, how come you're able to speak of it? Shouldn't the seal be preventing you?"

Ino's fingers gripped the hem of her clothing. Chouji tensed, ready for a fight-

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "Naruto removed the seal."

Sakura gawked, stomach swirling with fright. "…What? He did?" she asked, the only person around capable of formulating a coherent sentence, even if spoken in a shaky, too quiet a voice.

He nodded, shock replacing all thought. "Last night. He just removed it. Just like that. And told me to be free." Bewildered, he looked at his hands like he'd not seen them in forever and repressed joy of this discovery started to slowly ooze from him, along with-"_Something is wrong_. Something must be wrong. Why… Why. Why now? Why after… all this time?"

Clueless, they sat in their respective seats, lapsing into uncomfortable, numbing silence, Shikamaru's questions left unattended.

They had limited knowledge in regards to this seal, having encountered it only once before and Sai's had disappeared with Danzo's sudden death, which, besides the death of the bearer, was the only way how to remove the seal… Unless, of course, the one who'd cast it first changed their mind and with politics always in the play that wasn't a likely option even in their dreams.

At that moment, Shikamaru's fears were made legitimate. They hung suspended in the air like an airborne disease, wrinkling their foreheads and curling their thoughts away from the travesty called fortune they'd been experiencing just moments ago. Uncomfortable where she sat, feeling exposed Sakura shuffled, bringing her feet down and resisting the urge to hug herself.

"Can you… Can you tell us the exact circumstances?" she asked.

Shikamaru leaned back, eyes directed blankly at the ceiling. "Nothing exceptional. He requested to speak to me. I came, saw him dressed in his robes, and he gave me this strange speech about being freed, before dispelling it… I was too astonished to even attend that meeting, although I heard I'd missed quite the show. It's…"

"It happened shortly afterwards Naruto had chatted to the fox," spoke Chouji, frowning deeply. "Could it be related?"

Shikamaru huffed, clueless. "For once, I just don't know. Not even a thing. I'd grown accustomed to its presence, grown to ignore that I couldn't speak of some things… And now… there is this strange void where the seal had been. I guess you could say… I liked it that way."

"Liked it," echoed Ino.

Lounging on the sofa, breathless and rendered speechless in so many ways, Shikamaru only shrugged. "I did… that's the truth. I liked the seal. It was the best excuse I ever had for not speaking. It was that thing I'd had put on me out of convenience and to guard my own fears… Out of selfish reasons. And now he removes it. No warning, no nothing. Just… Just like that. I don't get it…" Confused, he narrowed his eyes. "Whatever he did, whatever reasons he had… Maybe it is connected to the conversation with Kyuubi, or maybe being so close to death made him… Made him this. I don't know. I wasn't there during the meeting, how did he look?"

Ino, Sakura and Chouji all looked at each other, each face to succumb step by step to a furtive, mystifying smile.

It was Ino who decided to elaborate. "Like we remembered him."

Shikamaru's look was doubtful. "Honestly?"

She nodded. "He waltzed in, all mister confidence and such and completely blew our minds away. It was, well… Really amazing." Reminiscing, she tapped two fingers against her lower lip, a wistful glint in her eyes. "It was just… just. A pity you missed it. He owned us all, completely owned the meeting. The Elders? Oh, wow, he just… Just shot them down. It felt like for once, after a long time, he was completely honest with us."

Looking for additional information and confirmation, Shikamaru's eyes found Sakura's next; to his disappointment or not, she had only the very same story to offer.

"I admit, we were all kind of giddy afterwards. He just managed to sweep us off our feet. You really missed a show and Ino is right; it felt like he was honest for the first time since, well, ever. He admitted to being obsessed with Sasuke, admitted so many other things and finally assumed that approach he was famous for…"

"Touching, sensible, the kind of approach that gets under your skin?" Shikamaru asked, doubts slowly dissolving.

"Yeah, exactly," smiled Sakura, watching with increasing amusement as Shikamaru continued to struggle against this possibility.

"Could it be that he's finally acting… And Kyuubi? Do you know what Kyuubi said to him? The attack?"

"It was the seal," explained Chouji, cool, calm and composed. "The seal forbids him from ever betraying Konoha, and it deemed his want to kill Sasuke whom Naruto unconsciously considered a member of Konoha betrayal. Thus, it struck, punishing him."

Then they all waited, knowing that out of everyone, Shikamaru knew the most on the seal, but as he nodded curtly, voicing no further doubts, they relaxed in their seats.

This strange discovery equaled to that X on the map, marking the location of the treasure chest, and they awkwardly hovered two steps away, the chest dug out, open and all the shiny gold inside theirs for the taking. And suddenly, they didn't know what to do. Knowing this much improvement had occurred was both a relief and burden. The many past years – and mostly the weeks – spent swallowed up by grief had left them easily doubtful of any stream of light, and as eager as they were to accept this at a face value, the bitterness of their past mistakes, namely the wounds left behind by ignorance, weren't easy to forget.

They might as well have found themselves looking at a bunch of presents with tags under a Christmas tree, all neatly wrapped with cute ribbons adorning their tops, yet they weren't sure if taking them would make this beautiful scenery dissolve, or be the equivalent of jumping head-straight into a bottomless pit of ignorance.

A collective, inward sigh trembled through the air.

Strange. Things were looking better. And they didn't know what to do. As if… Cursed. Under a spell. No day was bright and shiny, each needed a dark cloud. No soup delicious, a strand of hair needed. No dress perfect, just in a need of one crease. No love-struck exchange seamless, an awkward moment necessary. Tainting them all… Huh. Sakura inspected her fingers. Were these the fingers to push away this gift?

"We'll wait," she spoke firmly, alerting all to her presence. "Let's accept this for now, be blissful but not ignorant. Shikamaru, you can ask Nar-wait, no, I can ask him. Anyone can. The burden doesn't need to be just yours. We'll take a look at it, see what this means. Doesn't mean it's a lie, doesn't mean we're being, well, ignorant… Just." Forever suspicious of whichever thing Naruto did? No. She attempted a wan smile. "It could be true. After all, we've gotten too used to living our lives on the edge, but, honestly, it could be just true…"

"Could," agreed Shikamaru, features relaxed, heaviness pushed away. "It's as you said… We'll just have to see, but this time, just see, no waiting."

"Exactly," chirped in Ino and he looked at her, a certain softness invading his eyes, making them almost fond-

Sakura gritted her teeth.

_Being all lovey-dovey with Ino… Not under my watch!_

Quick to deem this as concluded and discard any worries, Sakura gave into her wrath, thrusting her fist into the air and directing all anger at Shikamaru. "What's this, Shikamaru? Liking Ino suddenly? You get her pregnant and now this? You changing your minds so quick? Huh? HUH? HUH?"

Shikamaru grimaced. "What? I'm not the father."

Ino sighed. "Sakura, he is not the father."

Sakura turned to her, gaze a blazing fireplace. "Uh-huh? Like I'd believe you. Think I didn't notice this… this… thing? Che! Explain yourselves! And Shikamaru, take responsibility, it's your child, after all!"

Shikamaru's grimace turned into a silent plea. "Sakura, let it go…"

"No! Ya hear this, Ino? Hear this? UGH! I can't believe this. Why, why? Can't you just be like Chouji, here, why? Responsible and-"

"Sakura, the father can't take responsibility," said Ino and Sakura noticed too late that her eyes were glassy. "He's dead, you see."

Sakura stared.

She looked quickly at Shikamaru to see a sign of scorn and anger – this time justified and turned against her, and Chouji was shaking his head and Yumiko was standing still in the doorway, a hand over her mouth, eyes sad.

All Sakura's insides twirled, tangled up. "I… I'm sorry, I-"

"It's okay," interrupted her Ino, nursing her mood with a cup of tea to have gone lukewarm in the meantime. "You didn't know. I guess I understand why you'd think Shikamaru was the father. It's sort of, well… I don't know? Easy to assume, maybe."

"I didn't-gosh. I am so sorry, Ino," she murmured, each cell in her crying from disgust aimed at no-one but herself, guilt grave eating away at her mind.

Slightly, Ino shook her head, a transient smile on her face. "As I said, it's okay. You had no way of knowing and, well, Shikamaru's been telling me to tell you guys, since you are my friends and you never knew how, well, how I got like this." She motioned at her belly and patted it, fond, grinning wryly. "Maybe it's time to tell you?"

Sakura bit on her lower lip, feeling the physical distance to be a sign from above, signalizing a loss of personal touch and trust between them, but Ino's worries were soon soothed by a strange force. Later, Sakura would realize that Shikamaru's eyes had rested on her sylphlike figure the whole time.

But for now…

"It was many months ago. A year ago, actually," started Ino, speaking in calm, venerating voice, memories of the past surely flashing before her eyes like a movie. "I went on this mission. Stupid, small thing, no biggie. And I met this guy… Oh, god, he was like a combination of Naruto and Sasuke. All smart, simply gorgeous, bright and funny and just cool. They had some problems in their village, bandits that just wouldn't let them rest, and I was so, so~ smitten with him." A happy sigh slipped past her lips, cheeks reddened. "I mean, I knew it was a mission and that I'd need to leave. I think we stayed there for like a week or so? And then I returned to Konoha – and Naruto, who was quite the wondrous Hokage back then, not saying he's no longer but you know what I mean, said there was another mission request, this time coming directly from the guy's family… _Wah_. Well, anyway." She coughed. "I accepted it, you know? Went there again. It was a bit on the long-term side, since we had to help rebuild a part of the village and I stayed there with my prince for a long time… We'd talk night and day, he'd make me laugh and well… Who am I kidding? Of course I loved him. And of course there was a catch." She lay down the cup of tea.

Rolled her shoulders back.

Resumed in a quieter voice. "He came from a family that had a history of diseases; few would reach adulthood, less alone get to see their offspring. His sister and brother got lucky; they escaped the curse of that disease. He, however… Not so much. It was an incurable sickness passed down from father to son, one that affected his muscles and left him paralyzed… To this day, there is no known cure. I guess that's what drew me to him. He was dying and he didn't even hide it, but still he tried to live his life to the fullest. The first time I saw him, he could walk. Second, third time… He was bed-ridden. Still, well… I mean, I don't need to tell you what happened, right? It happened. And we had to part. It was beautiful. He taught me not to look back and keep walking forward – and remember to carry my memories along and turn them into a lesson… One month later, I found out I was pregnant. Girls just know these things. I went to look for him…"

She sighed, clutching the cup.

"I found his grave."

A tremor went through her body. "The family… They offered their help. I mean, I told them… They sort of knew, actually, said they'd never seen a girl get so close to him. They said I should stay, stop being a ninja, look for a more mundane life befitting a mother and keep fit, healthy, so the chances of my baby having by accident a similar disease would be small… See, they seldom ever have daughters in their family. His sister was one lucky girl to have been born a female, but apparently there is a 90 percent chance of me having a baby boy and the boy having a similar disease. It's… I don't know. I couldn't give up on being a ninja. And I went home and Shikamaru just happened to be at the Konoha gates at the same."

"You looked distraught," said Shikamaru in a gentle voice.

"Yeah. I _felt_ distraught. And, um, I guess that concludes the story." She tried to pull off a sheepish smile, but failed. "I, um. I go to regular check-ups… And well." She tried again – this time, she managed. "They can't identify the sex. So… I guess it's a hit or miss situation? At least in a sense… At least if I were to listen to them, but I don't know…" Like a mother already, she placed her hands on her belly. "I don't think the little one is going to be born sick. Call it a sixth sense or something, but I can tell he'll be healthy. And strong. Like the daddy. Because the daddy was… emotionally, mentally very strong. It's a pity the baby won't get to know the daddy, but when it's big, I'll take my little baby to see the grave and explain how great a man the daddy was."

Then her smile lit up the room.

Sakura in her life had not felt this touched. No, not like this. Behind them, Yumiko sniffed loudly and disappeared into the kitchen. A second later, Chouji went after her. Sakura was sure they hugged and whispered sweet, honest nothings into each other's ears, but a more touching sight was – when Shikamaru outstretched his hand and Ino, wordlessly, stood up from her seat, grabbed the hand and walked over to him, all tentative and as subtle as the look in her eyes. Then she sat next to him, pulled close and into a hug.

So… Magical. Sakura blinked her own red eyes away. "I was wrong."

Shikamaru gave her a questioning look.

Sakura laughed. "You'll be a great surrogate daddy."

It was a bold assumption to make, she realized a bit too late, but she'd never met someone more responsible than this man.

This man who gave her a gentle smile, hand securely positioned around Ino's shoulders. Ino, on the other hand, shot her a sly look and winked.

Sakura laughed out loud.

Long minutes later, Chouji and Yumiko returned. The pregnant woman served more tea and promised to make more, at which point Ino jumped to her feet and asked to help and Shikamaru coughed, saying something under his breath that sounded a lot like "she'll poison us all" and they launched into a playful banter while Yumiko and Chouji overlooked the exchange with contented expressions.

Sakura sat in her armchair, smiling.

Alone.

The tea, cookies, promised cake and all forgotten.

Selfishly, she couldn't help but think to herself.

_Ne, why don't I have anything like that? Why? Shikamaru and Ino… Chouji and Yumiko… I know I'm not the only one, yet-is… is this what Naruto and Sasuke had? I understand what I'm looking at, and even when I looked at them, their thing, I never understood… Does that make it a bond to ever elude us, a never-ending conundrum? _

_What is between them, really? And why am I this sad like I'm… jealous, actually jealous of whatever THEY have…_

_And why do I use present tense? It is, after all, all in the past._

_Right?_

Before her mind had the time to process it and formulate the answer, the heart answered.

_No. A thing that strong never stays in the past._

And suddenly, Sakura felt like everything about their bond.

Made sense.

It hit her at once, like a slap across the face. She knew it all, at that moment.

_He lied._

_He lied._

_His obsession isn't over. His love isn't over._

_He lied…_

_Naruto is still in love. Naruto still needs Sasuke…_

_Sasuke still needs him…_

_They NEED each other… And nothing is alright._

_Naruto, what is going on?_

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Sasuke was a good person.

Few believed that.

And fewer were inclined to believe such a claim when faced with their beloved Kage's dying face. They didn't know exactly what had transpired in the meeting, the most gruesome of details wisely omitted for their sake; they just knew Naruto had been gravely hurt and placed in, what they'd feared, his resting place. But a week later he'd regained his senses and – and less than another day later, even his will to life. He brought happiness to their lives, but they weren't stupid.

Sasuke is a good a person.

That's what Naruto's whole demeanor said even now.

The troubling fact about that was – he didn't appear to know.

These people weren't nearly as stupid as Sasuke had dubbed them to be. Sai knew – they were smart, too smart. Over time, with Naruto's acceptance, they'd repented, enough to finally see what seeds of hatred they'd sown and how little the man cared for those, as willing as he was radiant like a sun to keep walking with the past tucked away in a far, far place. Repentance, however, just as any other life concept, brought along a certain sense of understanding – a bettered, intricate understanding of things. For example, people understood their leader was as fearless as he was fearful, still a child in certain ways, exhibiting often a profound understanding for a child's thought patter, swooping it afterwards off its feet and showering it precisely with that love necessary to dry its tears. They understood and correctly pegged his love as never-ending. After all, he forgave them.

So the question was.

What made him assume they wouldn't realize he had not the heart to hate on the Uchiha?

Uchiha Sasuke was a good man.

They never liked him, observing him from afar as he stalked behind Naruto, his shadow in his shadow hidden there for all eternity, but they never liked to admit – what they'd seen as well, those things as small as his heart-

-when Sasuke almost stepped on a flower, yet stopped his foot just in time – when he bent down to pick it up, when Naruto leaned closer and they shared a small, strange smile and with subtlety unprecedented, the flower was handed over.

-when Sasuke put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and at once the man's entire posture relaxed, when they brushed their foreheads together, sharing a wordless conversation to span over many long hours and continued, presumably enough, in their private chambers.

-when Sasuke conjured up a smile, erased every crease, elicited any wondrous expression of surprise and wonder, created love and bred joy – on their Kage's face.

-when Sasuke, for all intents and purposes, was a man with a heart larger by millions than theirs, and despite the blood of many on his hands, these few and far between moments scarcely witnessed, less shared, never spoken of again out loud, had persuaded them of one thing.

Uchiha Sasuke deserved love.

He deserved, like it or not, Naruto's whole love.

_But why, Naruto, do you deny yourself this so much?_

Sai caressed a flower. A flower which name he didn't remember. Small, yellow – it reminded him of Naruto, but it was withering and it felt like a sign from somewhere above where an omniscient being resided, where the being's finger was curled in his direction, curled, maybe, in sadness and grief, knowing already their anticipation was to be gone by the end of next week.

He moved to a standing position, tenseness in his muscles he'd not expected, and by instinct his eyes looked for the sight of Naruto, knowing he'd gone to interact with his people, bright, joyful and full of smiles to share, that he'd gone there to prance and flaunt his supposed health.

_Yet you cried, and for the love of me I can't figure out why I'd have lied… Kami-sama, was it a mistake not to insist on knowing more, on no further inspection of the fact?_

His heart so seldom used ached in his chest; the concept of shedding tears did not elude him. He ran from it. If there was one thing Sai wanted least to experience, it was tears.

A shiver went down his spine. To his side he heard many lungful screams, much joy to be shared. Following the source of sound, he came-

-upon a precious scene, upon their Kage surrounded by children, whooping along with them, promising them better days and candies since those things worked so well together, but fully knowledgeable of their upbringing too and the fact these children were the future, and future was not meant to be handled like a delicate matter.

Nearby, concerned parents hovered and Sai looked at them.

Somehow, without having spoken to him directly, they could tell fake from real, could see Naruto's brows would – here and there – twitch, and an uncontrollable urge to confront seized Sai.

For a while longer, he watched this spectacle, not knowing however to place the exact feeling in his chest, whatever to do with Naruto acting this way, until Naruto separated from them and walked over to him, eyes, for a change, honest.

"You didn't tell them," he said, voice almost lost in the background laughter.

Sai felt a strong presence; ANBU never left Naruto's side these days, less alone when the potential of an unknown force whisking him away haunted their dreams, a recurring motif whenever they lay awake.

He nodded. "Correct. Although, in hindsight, I should have."

"Maybe."

"You're hiding something, aren't you?"

"We all do, Sai."

"This concerns us all, however." Sai felt so, thought so – felt… Yes. Felt. He let his heart guide him. "Is it a big a secret?"

Naruto grinned. "If I say it's small, will it matter less?"

"Greater affairs should be treated accordingly."

"Affairs," repeated Naruto, making a pouting face, all for the sake of mockery that Sai couldn't handle well.

"Naruto-kun-or, rather, would you prefer Hokage-sama?"

The mockery vanished. Shortly, Naruto laughed. "A friend would be best."

"Friend." Sai nodded. "Friend is not just a word, Naruto-kun, it's a title you earn, and it's a two-sided thing, too. Right now, you're not earning it." He thought himself arrogant, cheeky for a bit, but Naruto's expression didn't reflect a similar belief, taking on a ghostly shade of shame and dislike for this blaring truth.

"Yeah, exactly. I guess you just want to know."

"I do, but not because I think I deserve it and you should tell me out of an obligation. Because we're friends, it's what friends are for, if you-"

"Ahh, lesse?" Naruto interrupted him like nobody's business, walking next to him, one arm reaching around Sai's shoulders to guide him down a paved road somewhere. "I've heard very similar words before… Almost two weeks ago." The hand left Sai's shoulder. "Kiba reamed me out. It felt nice, actually, but I don't need to hear it any longer. I know what you're trying to say, but there are things not meant to be shared."

Sai perked up – but then felt the reaction inappropriate, mellowing down considerably and his eyes looked for his feet; he'd never understood the point of doing that, observing the feet as he walked, had never seen a point in this exact thing he'd witnessed many people do, yet doing so himself filled him with understanding; suddenly, things made great sense and the ground beneath his feet, disappearing, re-appearing, held all the answers in the world.

He sighed. Tragic, really, for he noticed the tragedy in that short sound. "You are hiding something… You are. Again. I… Have read, seen enough, I believe, to assume and stand behind the words – that you're itching to call it different, that this case isn't like the others. Am I right?"

"No."

A tremor went through Sai's world. The word alone was deserving of such a reaction, but also the tone – hard to decipher, carried so strongly in one word only, expressed using no more than a sentence that took less than a second to be shared – was scary. It was, he thought, too familiar in strange, the strangest of ways, but not for his life could Sai remember where he'd heard it before.

Instead, he decided to continue this conversation, even if the prickling sensation on his neck – caused by those trailing them – wouldn't let his thoughts rest. "No? What then?"

Naruto looked at the sky above. "This case isn't any different. It's all about keeping secrets again, not trusting others. Maybe, we could find something akin to difference, and then wait how it panned out, but… The circumstances have not changed, not enough, at least, to pardon this lie."

An avalanche hit Sai's stomach. He swallowed hard. "Then why keep it, Naruto-kun? Is this for another noble, have to save the world reason?"

"It's for a noble reason," responded Naruto, halting in his steps to stare at the sun. People couldn't stare at the sun. Look, yes, but eventually the radiance would burn back and singe the delicate eye.

Naruto, it appeared, liked to defeat all odds, liked to work only under those odds, surrounded by skeptics, doubters and all alike of the disbelieving kind. He wished to glare at the sun and stare it down, until it set down and he'd believe, maybe, that it had just lost the contest, forced to hide behind the mountains out of shame.

When Naruto didn't speak for a moment, Sai tried to look up – but a moment later, he had to look away. He was just a human compared to him, incapable of withstanding the glaring heat.

Having nowhere else to look – this seemed like a plausible reason, didn't it? – he turned to Naruto.

There was no poetry in the way he looked right now.

There was poetry of the deadly touch that arrived with his next words, however.

"It's for a noble reason, a cowardly reason. I like being cowardly. I love being cowardly. Like this… Cowardly, yes." He blinked, sanguine, startled, out of everyone's reach.

The years had shaped this man into someone not one soul could properly understand. In folly, they'd thought the Uchiha to be a conundrum, a small riddle to be solved, grown greater than their will, but Sai understood the truth now.

There was no greater being in this world than Uzumaki Naruto.

Sai, again, looked at his feet. This time, they betrayed him, no answers offered, just the silence.

"Everything will be fine, Sai."

"How do you know?"

"Well, I suppose I could say – because I'll make it fine. You know what? That's right. I will make it fine. Even if it's the last thing to do. Today, I spoke the truth, but I'm not fixated on it as much as I made it seem. Whatever happened, happened. Fatalistic of me, I think… But I'm not here to linger on the past. Let's all move forward, no, Sai? Sasuke… Without Sasuke. He'll be chased down. Again. I will get him."

He walked on.

Sai stayed behind, watching Naruto's retreating, disappearing, sole back.

Over the buildings, guards jumped, swiftly following behind their leader, and in their executed detachment, Sai felt pity directed at himself.

Probably, they pitied the fool who felt.

They only ever did that.

Sai remained rooted to the same spot, a jolt sending all his nerves awake, the cells into frenzy.

A life of deadpan faces, impassive thoughts, dispassionate words and one moment with a solemn, exquisite walking corpse.

And he'd never felt more alive.

In his chest, the heart thumped.

In his veins, warm blood flowed.

In his mind, frantic thoughts coursed.

And in his hands, he grasped the future of one land and, namely, his own life.

He continued to watch until Naruto completely disappeared. Not once did the man turn to award him with one last glance.

Sai fully comprehended that such a gesture would have been a sign of mistake.

He moved, buckled a bit, and shook all over, a hard ache in his chest and something _raping_ his features, contorting them into a grimace of pure, terrible anger.

"What fools we all are, Naruto-kun, so easily dismissed in your eyes, all to see just yourself and that noble path you've paved yourself. Have you ever considered for a moment to stop and see the others behind you, waiting to aid, to help, to be there?"

The ANBU in him relinquished control.

Sai's body burned with shame.

"Or maybe we are the fools, maybe we should know better than wait for an order to help. We are. It's settled. And we will help."

He took a deep breath.

Brows twitching, cheeks dimly colored and lips parted, he turned on his heels, walking in the opposite direction.

_I'll make that first move, Naruto-kun, even if it costs us all our pride._

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Permanent issues were of no need of fixing. After all, the lack of such had turned them permanent. It was contra-productive in a sense, or just stupid in the slightest. Many people believed in this terrifying notion, having no strength in them to look in the eyes of those inconsiderate mistakes from their pasts.

But times changed. People didn't change. Approach didn't change. But the need for a change did.

Sakura believed in that. She believed in them even as she stared Sai in the eyes, even as she barely saw a thing but the glint of the man's coal-dark hues, even if the darkness of the alley they stood shrouded in filled her with a need for light and the warmth it brought along, the coldness of this particular side reminding her – of senseless fear, of the fear of unknown, of the thieves lurking similarly in the shadows. And so many, many other things.

It was worse now that she knew, now that she had the man in front of her portraying so much emotion in his body language that his voice would crack and break and the hands ball into fists.

She didn't know how to empathize with him, not at that given moment, having worries of her own to keep the hotness of the human touch at an arm's length. Ice had replaced her blood, the vessels in her expanding to the point she swore she felt each and every change, and most importantly – she felt the melodic thump-thump-thump of her heart slow down to a point where the thoughts of her mind was exposed to her, all down to a T.

For the first time in her life, Sakura could read her own mind as if it were an open book, nothing hidden from her.

The victory of such fact, unfortunately, meant nothing to her.

Her own fists shook and she pushed the tremors away, giving a freeway to her turbulent thoughts instead.

"I see," she replied after a menacing moment and turned around, walking away, Sai by her side.

At night, the streets of Konoha promised pain. At a night like this, they promised exactly what she needed.

Sai coughed a little. "Sakura-san… _Sakura_. I am angry with Naruto."

"For good reason."

"You suspected it, too."

"Yes."

They turned around the corner, a large long street exposing them to the moonlight.

The last time she'd been touched by its silver caress had been with Sasuke; Sakura couldn't very well remember a more terrifying moment in her life than that – or the memory of the seal in her mind. Almost, she'd have forgotten it, the memory rammed down her throat forced back up by her self-preservation instinct. Now, she wished to remember it the way she'd used to remember Sasuke's exact whereabouts a decade ago, when she'd possessed little of brains to fully grasp the man's attraction to flames.

"Unfortunately…" They passed by the local school. Absently, Sakura let her eyes wander on it for a bit. "We have no proofs. No nothing. At the moment, it's just the two of us. When was the last time we spoke, Sai?"

If he was surprised by her sudden inquiry, he didn't show. "I no longer recall such a moment, Sakura-san. It was a long time ago, I'm sure." He lapsed into a small moment of utter silence. Then-"He's wrong. He's all wrong. Again more secrets. His reasons elude me."

"It's time to debunk the myth surrounding his persona. Time to act."

"Very well, what do we do?"

"As you said, no nothing." Unhappy with that fact, she pursed her lips into a thin line. "No traces, hints, signs of anything meaningful and we have too little to share other than impressions and thoughts; those had gotten us into this mess in the first place and well-placed as they were, I know of few people willing to head-dive into the rift again; they fear getting burned after everything."

"Witnessing Naruto-kun's near-death experience would have contributed to that, no doubt," concluded Sai.

Sakura nodded. "No doubt."

They were speaking in hushed voices that lacked the fear of being overheard, too little care on their minds now to heave their tones. Sakura suspected it had something to do with being truly fed up – or the fact that once more Naruto had put them in a position where they were left to blindly feel the blank walls with their hands, eyes either gouged out or sewn shut.

Many long minutes later – during which they passed by a number of guards; their eyes would meet, no nods, no greetings or acknowledgments exchanged, an aura of distrust surrounding even a valediction this familiar to all – they reached their destination and Sakura approached the door and knocked on it; this deep into the night, any soul was fast asleep.

Shikamaru opened the door.

Sakura met his questioning gaze with her unwavering resolve and wrath.

_Not you. You wouldn't sleep, Shikamaru, not after today._

He looked at her first, noticing Sai only a moment later, even if his sharp senses would have alerted him of their presence minutes prior to reaching the door.

A certain glint of understanding dawned on him and he stepped aside, letting both into the place organized, neat, furnished but never cozy; possibly, the idea of returning blood-drenched, blades blunted by battle and eye-vision obscured by the invisible dead to a home as warm as the blood he'd spilled, but welcoming and lofty made him detest himself. This male could never defeat the system that had brought them up, but his understanding of it went too deep, changing even ridiculous tasks to this twisted hurricane of calculative mind, all laden with a touch that feared discarding own humanity.

They meandered through the coyly inviting air, stopping short at the pictures of Shikamaru and his team on the table.

Regret touched Sakura's features.

_You don't want to fill this place with warmth and love because you fear becoming a monster who can kill a man one day and smile the other. Despite that, the nostalgia can't even let you keep these mementos away. Oh, Shikamaru…_

Shikamaru stopped behind them, not even bothering to turn the lights on, perhaps distrustful enough he wouldn't want his features of tension seen, or maybe simply too far ahead again; lights at his abode seldom sprang to life past midnight and suspicions were easily drawn.

"Not sure if I was expecting you or not. At either regard, you're here now and I think I know what this all is about."

Sakura's anger melted away. "So we're not the only ones, eh?"

"No," he said, leaning against the wall, watching them warily. "But this time, we can't go around contacting everyone. This time, also, I'm sure we're the only ones who've noticed. I consider that a great privilege, heh," he said, a wry smile twitching on his lips.

Sakura didn't share that sentiment. "I'm not sure how this is a privilege?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "We're seeing it. I consider that enough. Of course, we still don't know a thing, basically, do we? Damn suspicions and such won't get us anywhere this time, and I'm not even hoping. There really isn't a lot we can do, just watch and keep thinking outside the box."

A sigh echoed around, coming from Sai; the man fidgeted, uncomfortable, fretting much like a child.

With sympathy, Sakura looked at him. "Sai, what is it?"

Startled out of his reverie, he blinked. "I know we're not making a mistake now. I can't delude myself any longer and hide my fears. Currently, I guess, they would be eating me away, is that the right wording?" Upon Sakura's hesitant nod, he continued. "Naruto-kun had a strange, strange gleam in his eyes when we spoke and even stranger was that tone. I feel that's the key, simply because I can't understand it. Am I wrong here?"

"It's never wrong to doubt," replied Shikamaru smoothly. "Doubt everything, my friend. Now… We have nothing and this nothing we shall discuss. All secrets and hearts worn on our sleeves for now, why don't we? Or maybe I just want someone's company for once. Sakura, Sai, stay for the night."

Sakura's features completely relaxed, a feeling tugging at her heart.

_Even geniuses need company, of course._

Having little to speak of, having, in fact, no actual proofs, own feelings and impressions not sufficient even for a lasting conversation, they still stayed, and while there was no drinking involved, not even snacks to keep their stomachs involved, for the reminder of the night, Sai and Sakura spent their hours awake watching Shikamaru repeatedly play a game of shogi against himself and it was the most engaging event of the past months.

In Shikamaru's calm movements and focused face, they drew own hopes and he, without a moan of protest, accepted them.

Tonight, they dined in peace.

Tomorrow, they'd feast on own fears.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Naruto let out a primitive growl.

And he flung a kunai at a wall.

"_Go away."_

Sasuke didn't, easily avoiding the kunai even if it wouldn't have hurt him; hallucinations had no feelings to speak of, even if this one was oddly lively and expressive, smirking in that pointed, Sasuke-like, chilling way that was too lively indeed, too successful in its efforts to bring forth memories of the past.

Worn out, Naruto sank to his knees, the floor his nest for tonight.

Silent, Sasuke continued to stare at him.

At times, he was solid, at times – transparent; under the moonlight, he'd glimmer like a mirage, edges blurring like fog's, and then he'd be walking towards him, as real and tangible as the day they'd first-

Naruto's body ached. On his chest – weight. Shackled around his wrists – rocks.

"Why…"

He shook.

"Why… Appear now? Why, Sasuke? Why?"

A growl.

He met the eyes no less than in inch away from his.

"_Why, Sasuke?"_

It blinked, head inclined to one side-

-Naruto held his emotions back. "Why come to me?"

And it smiled. Didn't speak.

Many moments later, its silhouette melted away like butter on a heated pan.

Naruto gritted his teeth.

_You're trying to tell me something, aren't you? … Aren't you, Naruto?_

…_Must I really speak to myself like this to pry some answers out of me? Really?_

_My mind's playing with me, showing me this – but Sasuke would have replied, would have spoken, would have mocked me, so this is one bad game you're playing with me, mind, really, really bad… You clearly haven't a grasp firm enough of him as you believe._

Like a cat roused from its sleep, he rose to his feet, grimacing greatly the whole time and letting the remnants of this bizarre encounter be swept under the carpet.

Or he would have, but in the air-

-scent.

Sasuke's scent.

Actual Sasuke's scent.

Inside Naruto's mind, a red alarm buzzed briefly to life, before going out and dying.

Why.

_Why the… Hell. How is this possible? Why is this…_

He lifted a hand to shield his nose from the smell, but as the material of his clothing brushed against his lips, he felt a mocking caress of it; the wrongness, the familiarity sent a shiver up his spine, sent his thoughts into a state of disarray and panic, made his eyes widen into a size unnatural and alien, made the skin of his become a putrid shade of green and ashen.

In his stomach, the butterflies he'd not felt in ages fluttered about, darling and slow at first, before their wings turned into razors as sharp as His blows and Naruto's hand fell back.

Bit by bit, inch by inch, he shifted to stand in front of the, full-sized nearby mirror to see his own reflection in its fogged surface, to see he was wearing His clothes, His clothing, His attire and Him.

It felt a bit. Like he was in Sasuke's skin. For the first, bitter, learning, sacrilegious time in his life…

Shoulders slumped, figure buckled, heaved down and Naruto tugged at the black vest, brows furrowed in thought, mind judging all – for naught.

_Is this it… So right before I just conveniently go push the daisies, I go insane? You have GOT to be kidding me… The Uzumaki Naruto, 6__th__ Hokage, Peacemaker, Peace-keeper, the Sage, Lord and all other useless titles… Losing all his marbles. It's like a part of me really hates me and is getting back at me, but this is stupid, really._

Grumbling something under his breath, Naruto proceeded with shrugging the clothing off, remaining only in pants that assuredly belonging to him, and the scent – scent, how could he even distinguish it from anything else, pinpoint its location, be so sure in his claims it was Sasuke's? How could he even know Sasuke's scent? Was it the strength, the value of it, the volume, the spice, the what? – gone. Uncomfortable in own body, he shifted closer to the mirror, and saw himself.

And blanched.

_Dude. Not good._

He was almost crestfallen to note his figure had lost a bit of tone, becoming less sculpted, yet that was the least of his worries, ranking only six on his "top ten things to make me lose it" list; what frankly made his toes curl and stomach churn was the sight of the pin-sized red dot on his chest.

Or, rather – that it vibrated.

Curious, he placed a hand over it and under his palm he felt a dull throb.

_How come I'm not… Feeling it? My chest is throbbing and I can't feel it unless I touch it? Even then… _

Puzzled, harder he pressed, waiting for the arrival of pain of discomfort meant to inform him of how stupid that action was, for surely this was his own body and he could feel everything.

Alas, nothing came.

_Nothing._

He poked the dot, scratched at it, prodded and stabbed continuously with his fingertip and the only reaction he received was the buzz to briefly make the finger shudder upon any touch. Otherwise, he may as well have been touching another man's body.

Unsettled. He was… Unsettled? Yes. It kept growing, increasing with each passing second and the lulling touch of the darkness and light in the room. He should have slept. Instead he would have wept, this realization leaving him restless, mind plagued and thoughts jumping to and fro in a disorderly, dismayed state, until Naruto-

-decided to be drastic.

Reaching inside a kunai pouch, finger sliding into the hole of the handle, he whipped it out, instinctively twirling it around, much sentiment in the familiar gesture before he slammed his hand against the wall nearby the mirror and, without waiting, without thinking it over, pressed the tip against the delicate skin stretching over his knuckles and – let it slide inside, tear the flesh apart and become lodged in the hand, in the wall, while the hand gave a meek, testy twitch…

And otherwise didn't respond.

No pain, no gain…

His eyes threatened to water.

_I don't want gain. I just want the pain._

With nothing but desperate force, he ripped the hand away, muscles tearing loud and sound, a sickening crunch echoing around as the kunai, bloodied, fleshy – from his flesh – remained to adorn the wall and Naruto's hand sported a large, gaping hole.

One that wouldn't hurt, one that wouldn't heal.

Drip… Drip…. Drip.

In rivulets so beautiful and ethereal, his blood dripped, dripped, dripped onto the ground below, gathering at his feet, creating a pool, a circle he couldn't step out of. Hypnotized, he watched and nothing knitted, nothing seared, nothing – in this reality happened.

The wound refused to heal.

And his body couldn't help it.

For one panicky moment he thought – if he'd bleed out, but it was wishful thinking as he had no ability to feel at that moment, having gone completely, utterly and wholly numb. Lacking any prominent reason to feel as well, he denied himself the right to try and instead-

-inwardly cried.

_Is this is, how I'll leave? No… it's not. This is the calm before a storm. The calm… I'm numb. Numbed… From that point, from so many things._

A tingling sensation in his hand-

-it would knit, it would heal over a long time, spanning over miraculous pages of gasps and shocks, offering no replies again.

Unresponsive the body was, getting ready… _He knew it. It was getting ready. Preparing, a great foreplay before the greater bang. _The calm, that stupid calm before IT arrived and IT would hurt and HE would feel IT everywhere.

And he'd wish he'd not reverted back to normal, not seen the wound close itself later, not seen the way his skin had continued to prickle and how, reflected in the mirror, the dot on his chest continued to glare back, threads of cerise shade spreading to all the sides, looking so much like a spider's greatest, most blood-chilling, awe-aspiring masterpiece…

His skin sizzled.

Punishment for mutilation.

Naruto doubled over and looked, petulant, obstinate, Konoha's number one most surprising ninja, one last time at the mirror-

-to see it had assumed the size of a human eye, almond-shaped, looking like a rift ready to open and swallow him up.

_Really…_

He chuckled under his breath and willingly plowed the ground with his knees, embracing the cool surface of the floor for once, shoulders shaking from the hysteria that threatened to overcome.

_Really… Just once, I hope to avoid anything big and flashy, though only to realize my departure will be as fleshy and large as was the size of my ego when I first pummeled Sasuke to the ground… Great, just great. Honestly. Unless I go hide, everyone will watch me die, probably watch something blow me into smithereens and splay all my guts around… Honestly._

_Honestly._

_Just…_

A twitch.

Another twitch.

_Unless I do go hide, they'll have to watch… Once… Once…. Just once._

THUD.

He punched the ground.

It cracked and broke.

Hot tears spilled into the crater.

_Just one I want to do something right and I end up being the biggest goddamn jerk there is. Just how much more before it gets too far? How much do I have left? How much more do I need to make these people suffer for me?_

_For me._

_For MY mistakes._

_For ME being a fool._

_How MUCH?_

_How… MUCH? Just-how… Can't I avoid it, can't I-have the will to live, to at least feel privileged to feel anything? Once… ONCE. TO DO SOMETHING RIGHT. And I'll bring them more pain…_

_Sakura-chan… Hinata-chan… Shikamaru, Kakashi-sensei, Baa-chan… Everyone._

_Will you avert your eyes if I beg you? Will you look away to miss me falling apart? Why. Why must I… When did I become like this? When did I stop looking, when did I become this blind, this… this stupid? I'd had those bonds, all of them, and I'd switched them out for me person… Why._

_SASUKE._

UGH-

-pain-stab-

-chest-

_Not like this you bitch, you're not getting me now._

_I have too much left to do._

He didn't crawl. He WOULD NOT crawl. He stood proudly to his feet, forcing them to work, driven by will only.

_I have too many things left unfinished, too many things I need to finish, need to know… Why did I ever do that? Did I really need him so much… When did this start? And why don't I have the answers? Why do I lack the answers, why do I-WHY DO I-_

Breathing heavily, he dragged his body to the couch, slumped on it – panted, eyes furious.

_When did I start to wither away, when did Sasuke realize? What did he really realize? Sasuke? Why did you ask me to put all my trust into you, why did you – kiss me? Why did you ever do those things to me, initiating contact when I didn't want to? Where you in love, were you in love with an idea of us? Didn't you see it? That I'd fought-_

-another wince; he bit down on his lower lip.

_-it. Always fought it… Did it make you grief-stricken, did it poison your mind? Was it me who destroyed you this time? What are you avenging now? What are you doing now…? Sick of me, disgusted…? _

_There are these things I don't know, things I should know, things that concern me and I did not see them until now. Knowing I could die soon, knowing the end is inevitable, I feel I've missed out, never properly looked… I must remember. The moment this started, the moment I became like this. I know. I KNOW. It would help… _

Screw pain.

Stagger, staggering, swaying-ugh, balance wasn't his best of friends when the body was still only trying to regenerate, producing the missing blood as quickly as possible, but he flipped it off with scorn and little patience, jumping to the closet and taking out his clothes, getting dressed and ready-

-his knees tried to buckle, betraying him completely and his hips dug into the edge of the drawer.

_Screw you, too. Damn it. I'm the boss here._

Gathering all the power he had left – or calling back that which belonged to him – Naruto put the top over his head, the material rolling in compliance over his body, and ran over to the window, opening it wide-

-it stung. The air. It was crispy, colder than usual, but more than anything else, it just _was_ and Naruto realized with a jolting gasp and a jarring distaste for remembrance that he didn't want this world gone, that he didn't want to be gone.

Did not want anything to witness his death.

Did not…

For a moment, Naruto hesitated. He remained stood in front of the window, the curtains blowing and dancing to an inaudible tune in the touch of the night, the tune which he'd have heard himself if he'd not only felt this troubled and smothered.

Shikamaru's intent to hear him out made much sense now. A pity that it'd have occurred to him only now, would have struck him a good idea this late when he had little time left, when the ticking time would have little mercy when striking him down with its hands; kicks would come, blows strong and impossible to ignore, and he'd drown in this misery like a fool as he'd not sought out another way… Now, now Naruto understood the importance of sharing his story of Sasuke with the world.

Because now, now Naruto finally knew that even he didn't understand the story of he and Sasuke.

He knew nothing.

_I know nothing. Whatever happened, whatever he saw… I must have too. But I never looked._

The late night air got colder, soggier.

Naruto jumped on the windowsill, hands grasping the sides and eyes weighing the considerable distance from the ground, before-

-he peeled his body off anything sustainable, solid, arms spread eagle-like, and body carried by the wind, floating through the sky, liberation in its unadulterated, drunken form sinking its teeth into him, claws draped around his frame and a whispery voice moaning-

-"_don't run away this time, don't escape this again, be free, Naruto, be liberated_".

_I will._

_I will._

_I will be free before the last blow robs me of you. _

_I will become freed too and finally torn from this darkness, from this… Ignorance._

_From being this sole._

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, but the story idea is mine alone.

**A/N:** Hullo, hullo! I am back with another chapter x) I must thank-you again for reviewing the last one. I LOVED those reviews, they were fantastic. And feed me MORE, yes. Haha xD No, really, do give me more x) I will never tire of reading the reviews, honest. And getting the input always helps know if there is any point in posting the chapters. Now.

This chapter is considerably shorter than any other. For good reason, of course. I consider it a bit of a filler chapter that shows the progress of the turmoil. It's not very action packed, but I wrapped up some sub-plots at last. If you have anything against Shikamaru/Ino pairing, I'm sorry, but they developed out of their own accord and I held no control over that. But I do think they're cute together. It is a bit stunning to realize they developed feelings for each other right under my watch. Aw, love really is sweet… Well, we'll see if they go anywhere after this.

Now, you got to see another portion of the plot revealed, hinted at in the very last scene with Naruto. You'll get to see more of him in the next chapter and how he deals with his death. I considered adding another flashback but decided against it at the very last moment, intent upon preserving the flow of this chapter. That particular flashback will never appear, I think, but hints will be made eventually.

You got to see more of Sai whom I had neglected in previous chapter. Utter fail and pity, for he is such a marvelous character! I do love him. And, anyway, he does get more space in this and the following chapter, because each character deserves some light shed on their thoughts and feelings. Anyway, enough of ranting…

Do you like, do you hate? What do you think? ; )

_In next chapter, the story refuses to continue, there might be a new Hokage, many feelings are worn on the sleeves at last, Yamato makes his wondrous debut as a man and many more secrets are revealed. _

**Rating:** PG-13 for themes, blood, swearwords, and **sexual undertones.**

Thanks for reading. Remember to R&R! x)

If you have any questions, add them in a review or message me personally :)


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter_Fifteen

_I l__**i**__ve_

There existed something like – a lack. Of. This. AND. That. Generally speaking, the glass in cases peculiar and specific wasn't filled to the brims, yet some would argue that with one half water, one half air, it was full despite all, and thus the definition of pessimists and optimists was as wrong as the idea that any person could be made that cheap. After all, weren't we all individuals, weren't we all special in ways none other could measure up to? Didn't we possess the quantity of ideas and emotions to differentiate us easily from the rest? Was there no respect left in the world for the notion of an individual?

Millions of people to walk this earth, connected by the threads of their shared birth and the mark which dared soil their bodies with the idea of being one and the same. That was a lie. That was not true, that was a nasty, disgusting… _filthy thing_.

Naruto, oh, he wished to believe in everything but that. Yet not driven by the desire to be different, but fighting, rather, for the sake of fighting everything and anything. He wanted to fight the air and the soil behind his feet each and every time the body nimbly landed on it; he wished to struggle against the warm ground to briefly pool around his feet and the way it embraced his fingers, the tips buried deep in its welcoming warmth-

_I won't even have the fortune of being buried. I won't even have that. I won't have the six feet under, I won't have the daisies planted, I won't have anything like that. I won't have the mourning, the crying, the moaning and pleading to get me back. I won't have any such freaking luck._

_I WANT IT._

Merciless the wind was as it whipped at his face, carrying his trepidation along and mourning for him. And mocking him at the same time, each caress a cry of fingers pointed and laughs shared, jointed by mockery and condemnation.

THUD.

Naruto's body landed. In the middle of the wide road he'd stopped. And he shook and he shook for so many reasons writing them down would have been the greatest of insults, for an individual was NOT reduced to ideas, thoughts and all jotted down neatly on a sheet of paper. He would NOT be reduced to tears, to laughs and cries, to labels put down, to a nice headline and a few empty words written down.

He would not.

_I am not a name. I am not a person. I am me. I am Uzumaki Naruto. I am Naruto. Not the Hokage, not the – human._

_I am not Naruto._

And.

I am an idea.

The wind turned into cutting razor. The sky became the fight of his innermost fears. The world around – the representation of him. In his stead, it showed what he really felt and the clouds above swirled, ominous in the way they'd circle each other like the opponents from an action movie; now, all other measly, pathetic lies had been taken care of. What was left behind – was the thing to ever continuously present itself in a vicious circle not closed, not finished, and not the Ouroboros. How he wished to bite at own tail, have it wrapped up, how he wished to take a bite from the ideology and have it done for.

How he wished to.

Really be free.

Come hither, come erelong, whatever you are.

It – the sky – split. Rain.

It started to rain. Heavy, heavy thuds-thuds of the impacting drops smeared across the ground, wounding all in its wake. This world was wounded, slapped by each careless caress, by each move lacking – more.

_Free._

He closed his eyes, or maybe turned blind.

His arms spread out, eagle-like again, the memory of that a haunting. Palms turned upwards gathered the drops, feeling their relentless hits and feeling – how they dispersed.

One after another, they landed on him, and the more arrived, the more he felt.

A shining pearl made of deep-ocean blue with a speck of gleaming diamond on the side fell down and lost its marvelous shape of a tear, molded into a circle and cycle, then distorted around the edge, blue turned visceral black and crying white, before – dispersing and becoming nothing.

_Why._

He would ask.

_Why do I have to die?_

He would ask again.

_Why just now._

_Must I feel the life?_

And he would cry.

Deep, deep inside, he would cry. Never before had he felt a sensation more overpowering than this rain and he'd not realized, actually, how fantastic it felt. How beautiful on his skin, warm despite its cold touch, alive despite its deadened feeling, eternal despite – the repeated performance of actors dying on his face. And on his hands, on his body.

Everyone.

This life, this thing, tell me why.

He opened the eyes.

"_Why do I have to die?"_

The hands fell back. Soaked to the bone, he closed the doors to his soul and continued to feel his feet grow one with the ground. It turned into mud. The downpour washed away the filth, and on the road built steeper, a smaller stream was build, gravitating downwards and around his feet, way colder than he'd have ever thought possible.

Fragments of pain appeared, for the confrontation with real He had its downside. But – was pain the true downside? Or was this the situation of – _I don't know what I had until I lost it._

_To this moment, I didn't even realize how great pain felt. _

_I never knew, did I? That I was pain._

_More than anything else, without it, I am not. I just don't exist. Or… I don't deserve the medal made of heart and thought. I can't ever be deserving if I, at any state of body and mind, don't realize – I am so alive._

With hands touched by the skies, Naruto cradled his face. A wave of nostalgia hit him.

_I remember the time with Him in the rain. I remember another time in the rain. I remember – all those times. I remember – what I felt. And why I felt. I was alive, wasn't I. I was. I can't ask myself that. Now. What am I now? Who am I now? Who, above all, did I disappoint the most? The world._

_Or myself? _

He stepped forward. It was just one leg – outstretched, comically, forward. It was the foot planted down in a way like soldiers had been told to. It was a march. A march. A senseless march. And he was a soldier. More so than any of them could ever be. What was the likeness between them and he? Was it the, maybe, knowing he was walking down the glorified highway to death?

_I need to get going._

Another step taken. Doing well, no?

_Fuck this life._

Eyes open, Naruto walked. In the rain, he took a stroll, no rush in the world. Barefoot, barely clad, resilient against water, he walked.

He just, maybe, stopped to care. Or maybe.

He no longer understood – care.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

In this world, there was as much as someone of Shikamaru's status could handle in one evening, and as much as he could muster up the patience for in a minute. Sakura and Sai showing up was the pendulum swinging at last; surely, the connotation of the other way it swung to should have elicited the feeling of wrongness, but indisputably, Shikamaru was a man who'd rather be faced with the reality than its pretentious sister – imagination. In a way, he was a foul and wretched creature, hoping for the wrong to happen and present itself. He hated the toned, shaded pink eyeglasses, he hated the rose garden and he hated the roses. He wanted to, without doubt, eviscerate all those idiots and their ignorance. And let them drown in their feces.

But how would he ever wish it upon Naruto, who would ever – try to say anything but "yes" to him? Sakura and Sai showing up was the existence of a curse made public knowledge; it arrived through the front door and along with it the option for remaining ignorant once more. Discarding that, he'd invited them in, finally determined to be done with the charade of a life.

Yet imagination would arrive hours later – and not use the door.

One moment – and it truly was as strangely as simple as that – he was playing shogi, Sai and Sakura in silence sipping their tea, watchful eyes absently observing the complete destruction of the war he waged, and next moment – the window opened and the presence of another human being in his house soaked the place with radiant warmth.

And then, before any had the right to properly react, from the darkness of the kitchen He emerged, looking as if he'd always been there; hiding in the shadows, the embodiment of everyone's greatest fear, he would walk forward – all care for their well-being smitten with the languorous gesture of one hand.

Like whoever they were – couldn't have mattered less.

Genuinely astounded, Shikamaru dropped the shogi piece he'd have wiped the enemy forces with, and gathered himself to his feet.

Naruto walked further in and flashed them all a cheerful smile.

So cheerful no-one noticed at first how drenched to the bone he was. Until-

"Ne, ne, Shikamaru, Sakura-chan, Sai, did you know it's raining outside?"

-the man himself brought it up.

At once, Sakura was fretting over him, yet her way of expressing worry often erred on the violent side, and much like a fussy old hen slash mass-murdering maniac with an axe conveniently hidden in a rucksack, she rounded on Naruto and fisted the material of his top into her hands.

"_Na-ru-to._ The hell you're doing here? It's raining!" she hissed angrily, and Naruto's smile widened.

"I know, right?"

Sakura stared at him, her hold on his clothing tightening. "What? The. Honestly, what are you doing here-what-"

In a move so much like the touch of morning dew, Naruto's hands rose to land on Sakura's – and stayed there. "Ne, Sakura-chan, it is raining. And it's amazing."

Whatever fearsome anger she'd felt him for – was gone. Stung or burned or frozen into a statuesque of magnificence, she recoiled, drawing back to let the others do the judging, but Shikamaru thought they'd not fare any better against Naruto. In the repugnant state of mind, he barely contained enough will to muster up a thing, less alone the fabricated interest in this madman. Despite that, knowing most of the burden rested on his shoulders regardless, Shikamaru inched forward to speak up and once more assume the role suitable for only bones wary and worn to agelessness-

"Naruto-kun, I-I am angry with you."

-before Sai spoke up.

Naruto put his hands on his hips and nodded. "Yeah! Be angry! Anyway, Shikamaru, tea?"

And he just passed by the party and settled on the spot Sakura had not long ago occupied.

Both Sai and Sakura looked at Shikamaru, whose genius mind was reduced to one helpless shrug, before he trudged off to the kitchen to fetch Naruto a cup. He returned a bit later into a forlorn mood, with Sakura and Sai uncertainly eying Naruto and Naruto, well.

Naruto was poking and prodding at the teapot, finger idly stroking its ceramic structure and tracing the ear. Eventually, it settled on the kanji in front spelling "tranquility", each stroke of the brush appreciated with his finger. Almost Shikamaru could picture Naruto being the true creator of this insignificant object and marveling, many years after its creation, at the thought and care he'd put into an object that mundane. Struck by bewilderment, Shikamaru stole – he was stealing it, was he not? With Naruto's new-found fascination for it, surely Shikamaru's action of removing it from the blond's vicinity equaled to a crime punishable by law – the teapot and poured Naruto a lukewarm cup of tea. Then, most astounded, he placed both down and Naruto murmured a sweet thank-you before taking the cup in both hands and smiling fondly at the tea.

Again, Sai and Sakura sought Shikamaru's ingenious mind to provide for their confused hearts, but he shrugged once more, flopping down nearby the shogi board and appearing as bemused by the current happenings as everyone else.

Outside the windows, the rain continued to beat to the rhythm of the world, creating a subtle music much like white noise with no particular sound to filter through, nothing at all to become tangible and soothe their worries.

Into this nothing and good for nothing song, Naruto's voice, solemn and quaint, bearing as much notion for feeling as the cup he still continued to hold, drifted.

"We've never sat down to drink tea, have we? The lot of us. I can't remember the last time I spent time with you guys."

Shikamaru frowned, trying to find any rational reason for this in Naruto's expression, but the demeanor was as disclosed and kept tucked away as the memories of his; try as he might, he could see nothing, and his plight would not be heard and – the landscape of Naruto's mind, maybe laid to waste and producing fruits of devastation, was as far out of his reach as the day Shikamaru had found out the truth.

He fretted, uncomfortable and as knowledgeable in the arts of communication as a new-born child, and it was Sai who broke the silence – it was Sai to bear the burden of the irrefutable and true.

In a soft voice lacking the furor he'd spoken of before, he muttered an incomprehensible sound of apology, before saying, brisker, curter-"There were many instances when we tried to get together, Naruto-kun, dozens of events organized for the purpose of us meeting. I-I never dared consider myself the part of 'us', but was invited nonetheless. And-you never came. You were always with-"-his resolve faltered and Sakura accepted her turn in the relay-race.

"You were with Sasuke. You remember that, don't you? Or has your mind started to fail you even there?"

Naruto blinked and looked up at her. "Charming. Hm. Well, yeah."

She stared. "What?"

Unperturbed by the eyes screaming "preposterous" Naruto smiled. "Yeah. My mind is starting to fail me." Leaving them all mystified, he turned to his tea; in his eyes, the uneven surface of the liquid would reflect, and the dimmed light of it – created an artificial quality in Naruto's face, as if he were not-

Shikamaru pursed his lips into a thin line. He wanted to turn the lights on, fill this room with light of any kind, for the tide of discomfort sweeping his mind away was leaving any logic disarrayed; he was to feel lost in the situation, and the grounds familiar to him that should have been his advantage were an idea so easily struck down. He had nothing to lean onto; not his home, not his privileged, esteemed mind, not the others sharing, for once, the whole of his confusion.

Naruto saw that or not. Content, he took a sip from his tea and in his life Shikamaru could not remember Naruto having ever taken his time with a thing like that; anything he'd wolf down like a starving child, possessing little to no patience for appreciation, yet here and now he was taking relish in the art of tea. Almost, Shikamaru felt ashamed he'd not touched his own tea in hours, almost he felt sorry for the tea that had gotten cold as he pondered the mysteries of life over. Almost – and that almost was beginning to disappear, its opacity turned down and existence slowly taken down – he felt it appropriate to apologize, sit back and cradle the cup in a similar manner as Naruto had; then he would take a sip himself, a hearty one, and close his eyes as the liquid still familiar with warmth spread all across his tongue and cleansed his mind of worries. On its way down, all worries would be washed away and then – like Naruto now – he would feel at ease.

And ignore, too, the dread slowly building up in the pit of his stomach.

Alienation. Via gestures and mimicry, they were alienated from him and Naruto was behind a casket, behind – the mirror, on the other side of the looking glass, not obliged to do a damn thing to smother their fears, existing in a world parallel to their own – and detached from everything.

Shikamaru's finger rose to trace the circumference of the cup. "Your mind is failing you… I see. You don't remember all the previous attacks, you don't remember-do you remember, Naruto, each and every time you turned us down?"

"No." It was spoken lightly, but Naruto's brows knitted together in still worry. "I don't. I remember instances, yeah, when I didn't go, but really? Not that much."

Sakura shook her head. "How is that possible? How can you just not remember anything that vital?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but as hesitation left him instead, Sai took the reins. "Was your mind, perhaps, too full with Sasuke-kun? Was he everything you ever thought of?"

Naruto's previous cheerful attitude faltered. He did not give a nod, but the lips curved into a wan smile was all they needed. Sai's eyes, as dark as Sasuke's in Shikamaru's opinion, bore into Naruto's. "I believe the definition of that, Naruto-kun, is love."

Sai paused.

"Are you in love?"

Naruto made a face. A small, tiny expression of discomfort, perhaps, before looking down at the ground.

The "I don't know" would come next. Never in his life had Shikamaru hated three words with that much cold, calculating passion.

But Naruto wasn't answering and it was almost like getting their hopes up, because – the longer they waited, the more inclined they were to believe – he really was just withholding the truth now, mulling the possible answer over and refusing to speak on the behest of their curious minds. What would come next? The feared I don't know, the feared I can't say, the feared I won't say? What _would_ come next?

Naruto's lips parted.

Shikamaru held his breath.

"My feelings for Sasuke, I'm afraid, matter as much as I do." Filter the words did, light once more despite the gravity of their true meaning, making it difficult to grasp whatever inert message Naruto had hidden in between the syllables.

Before any had the time to process what he'd said and come up with a befitting answer, Naruto took a deep breath and put the cup of tea aside.

"I fell in love. With what, with whom, when? I try to remember these things, I try to remember – and I can't. I tried to think of another story, but then I realized – they are nothing. All they show is us alone, us talking and stuff like that, and those memories bear no significance to the grand scheme of things. Just as my life. I'm not sure – what does that mean? Is there a part of me repressing these memories, holding them back? How come I never remembered I'd suffered from a similar attack before, how come I couldn't recall – the moment when I almost bled out like a fool and was held by Sasuke until it stopped? How come I don't remember – all those times his touch alone nursed me to health, when just looking at him gave me strength? And all those times I'd turned my back to you… Hah. I really can't remember. I guess this is why I came here."

Decisively, Naruto planted his hands on the knees and under the pressure both legs swung to either side. Naruto's jawline was firmly set.

"To remember."

"Remember," echoed Sakura, wistful, mind spirited away. "What… Remember. I don't understand. What do you want us to do? Beat it out of you? You can remember only on your own, Naruto," she was saying, words hurried towards the end and she gave a violent shake of her head. "That's not how it works. That… Is not." Bitter regret laced her words. She believed them or not, but, most of all, she wished he'd come to them for the right reason. That much Shikamaru could see.

That much he definitely understood. Clarity. In Sakura and Sai, he saw clarity; it was water crystal clear that he envisioned himself gulping eagerly and fast, the raw force of his determination making all of the untamable liquid come to him rather than surge by. It would not escape his attention.

Never again.

He took a deep breath – settled back, mind clear. "Alright. We'll make you remember. So far, we've only been hearing the various stories from your point of view and as you pointed out yourself, you might be keeping things from us. And from yourself. Thinking to that, I consider it appropriate that we talk now."

In turns, he looked at all the attentive faces, the patient eyes. "Naruto, I think it's time you heard the truth from our lips and how we were affected. It might not make you remember a thing, but you need to understand our involvement. We were the passive parts of the story, observing all, but our input, right now, might be that missing key."

Naruto's chest heaved up and down. His eyes so blue darkened. The lips pale – suffered from abuse as he bit on the lower one hard. A bit too hard for the gesture to go by unnoticed. Opting for forced oblivion, Shikamaru focused on the growing tension in the room.

Eventually, Naruto breathed out a sign of agreement and looked around, trying to see which one would go first, whose blow would land the hardest.

Sakura leaned forward.

"Alright. I'll do it. I'll start. Naruto."

Shikamaru noted her visage and the colossus that manifested itself on her shoulders, promoting despair and fright. But she would carry it proudly, not buckling underneath its weight and he saw her – gather herself and scoot to sit forward, sticking out of the line and looking up ahead with crystallized pain in the adjunctive plaint and piety in her eyes.

"There were, of course, far too many occasions when you brushed us off. Yes, I call it brushed us off because you did brush us off. You did ditch us, Naruto, and now I see no reason to beat around the bush." Vigor and dispassion meticulously dipped in belated anger in her voice. "At first, of course, I think we were all eager to think it a logical action to take, given how you were appointed Sasuke's guardian. The burden, we thought, was heavy and you had no choice but to oblige or face the risk of Sasuke betraying Konoha. But now – now we know… Because of the seal, Sasuke couldn't have ever done it. And you knew that. You had to know, didn't you, that with the seal, Sasuke could not even think it, less alone act on any past desire to reclaim the path of an avenger as his own and strike back. Knowing this brings back a memory from years ago. A bitter memory, might I say."

She shuffled around and brushed stray strands of hair behind her ears, eyes closed in composed and controlled wrath. Her control over own emotions chilled even Shikamaru.

"I'll tell you what it was, because I believe you do need to know. No-one ever told you anything, because, I guess, we really liked our own ignorance. It was sweeter than honey, melted on our tongues… Now, it's comparable to the taste of someone's blood on my hands."

Naruto's fingers, slightly, trembled.

Worry twisted through Shikamaru's features, mingled with anticipation and the idea of emotional hurricane of a comeback and Sakura – continued.

"I'd just passed my jounin exams. I was a jounin. And I was happy. And I, foolishly, wanted to celebrate it with you…"

Her eyes wouldn't open, shielding from the world her cracking resolve.

"And you hurt me."

_A loud, resonating echo of joy. _

"_I've been made jounin!" _

_Hugs. Mom and dad – both leaned in, enveloping their only child in the love they seldom cared to put on display, and Sakura ignored the looks some uptight fools were shooting in her direction. She'd made this announcement in public, sharing the joyful news with everyone in her proxy in a possession of hearing, and now she was eyed with amusement and bemusement alike, but she – just didn't care._

_Her ecstasy kept escalating to impossible heights, reaching the heavens and bringing in the seventh piece along as it flew downwards, and Sakura laughed happily. Gladly, she embraced them both back, listening to their murmurs of sweet nothings scented with pride and love, and as she pulled back long minutes later, a healthy shade of pink had possessed her entire face; from the nose to forehead, all parts bore the semblance of too much sun and too little sunscreen, and she tittered away, stepping aside._

_For a reason, she'd doubted any future promotion, for they kept the jounin exams such a terrifying secret, promoting the whole of the world to deem it most important and ominous, when in reality – it was just a secret test meant to establish one's skills and evaluate their demonstration of all they'd learned throughout the years. Simple, true, for however were they to reach an objective opinion? Should the, ah, subject be aware, they would fabricate a story of immense prowess and superiority, rather than stick to the truth. And, well._

_Ah, she couldn't even linger on those thoughts much. Mirth continued to course through her veins and she bid her parents a temporary farewell, laughing with every promise of a delicious dinner awaiting her come evening and the party to celebrate their beloved daughter's striving future as a kunoichi. Drunk on this, she literally - yes, literally – skipped off like a child, bouncing up and down. An hour later, rejuvenated and mellowed out at last, feeling most puerile for expressing this much joy – and out in the open, too! – Sakura sought out other members of the Rookie 9, knowing they were in Konoha. She didn't require a party, per se, but a small get together financed by her would be nice, no?_

_Oh, oh! She could tell them – it was just a reason, well. A small… Something, to, hm?_

Whatever, I just want to see everyone.

_Pfft, let the world go to hell should it express disapproval with her lack of care. It wasn't like she wanted to flaunt it around, considering how Shikamaru had become a jounin ages back and Neji, well, Neji was made jounin at fifteen, no? No flaunting involved, simply, simply-_

_-thoughts were failing her._

_She halted in her steps, trying to compose herself again. A bit of shame was mustered up, wholly dedicated to her acting this uncharacteristically proud of something thousands before her had accomplished, but she couldn't help herself, she was just so-_

_-_bells.

_There was a store nearby selling some trinkets, tokens of affection and remembrance bearing as much significance as each owner would permit. And displayed outside, attached to the roof and dangling freely in the air were lucky charms. Each charm was made of few sturdy-looking threads interwoven in a specific pattern. There she saw flowers, there kanji for love, there for strength and purity, then for – oh, this and that! But there was one charm._

_One plain-looking one._

_With dozens of small golden bells attached. Even from afar it was obvious their maker had invested little care in brushing the bells genuinely golden and the paint that covered them had aged, revealing the rusted reddish tint underneath. But they were alive. So very alive._

_Floating in the afternoon wind, gleaming brighter than its brothers and sisters truly made of gold and silver. They might have been cheapest, ugliest, but to her – the most beautiful._

_Struck by a memory from not long ago, Sakura walked over, thinking of the easy allure of purchase-_

_-someone so tall and so beautiful she felt her knees shake got there sooner. With a languid caress, he caught the bells on the palm of his hand; between the fingers born for piano playwrights, the other bells rested and the heat of his skin warmed them up. From where she stood, she could see the warmth of his enter them and bring them to life – and bring, simultaneously, a vivid and vivacious smile – _

_-on his sun-kissed face, on the cheeks brushed golden by his hair whipped to a fro by the wind._

_To the eyes bluer than the bluest of blues, as scarce as saffron and as perplexing as bluebottle. Everyone around was thistle. He was no rose. No delicate a flower. He was – the world._

_Sakura's heart skipped a beat. _

"_Naruto," she breathed._

_He turned to her – glow. He was glowing. _

_Warmth spread across her chest. Over to him she ran – actually ran instead of simply walking, and blush tinted her cheeks. "Naruto," she said again._

_He grinned, the glow intensified. "Sakura-chan." And greeted back._

_His fingers, gingerly, left the bells; they rang about, singing a song full of joy._

_Sakura glanced at them, the warmth swelling. "Do you like them?"_

"_Ah, yeah," he replied, sounding absent. "They remind me of something."_

_Once more – the heart skipped a beat. Slyly, she smiled. "Oh, do they? What?"_

"_Someone, something," he said, wistful, prompting a giggle from her._

"_Oh, come on, you can tell me."_

_Hm, she knew already, so why the aura of mystery? Oh, surely it was just Sasuke rubbing off on him! She stifled another giggle, feeling already so smitten with him like a girl harboring romantic feelings, and the thought elicited a myriad of superfluous thoughts of no and but in her mind – eventually put out by Naruto's radiant smile._

"_It's nothing big, Sakura-chan, really. Anyway, what are you doing here?"_

"_Oh, you know, just walking around, the usual." Idly, she ran a hand through her hair, feigning ignorance, waiting for her moment-_

"_That's nice."_

_Naruto's voice, soft but cold, cut through her string of thoughts._

_She blinked and – cleared out her throat, hiding her embarrassment. He was going to ask, right? Right. Of course, it was Naruto. He would!_

_Instead, Naruto turned back to the bells, love – love, yes, love in his eyes. "Man… This does bring back memories."_

_Sakura blanched, but nodded, thinking back to their first test as Team 7-_

"_Sasuke and I stumbled on similar bells just a week ago."_

_-and froze._

_Oblivious to that, Naruto continued. "I'd buy them but knowing Sasuke, he'd just throw them away. He doesn't like these… tokens of affections. Sasuke says it's not-"_

"_I was made jounin."_

_Sakura paused. Had she really-? Announced it most officially. Yes._

_Naruto blinked and awarded her a sidewards glance. "Oh, really? Nice, Sakura-chan." A smile formed on his face. With greater smile, he'd surveyed the bells. With greater, glowing and brilliant smile, he'd spoken of Sasuke. "I knew you could do it. Sasuke and I are just chuunin at the moment. Maybe one day, we'll be as good as you, no?"_

_What?_

_Right._

_Right… _

_Ri-what? Sakura was staring, a part of her struck by confusion, another – by hurt. So swiftly all joy had spiraled downwards. And why was he-? Just talking about him, that was-she huffed and shook her finger at him, ready to say something-but he was looking at the bells again and she realized she had nothing to say. What, after all? Naruto was stronger than her. Always would be. In any, even whimsical regard. What was he expecting her to say? Was he rubbing something in her face, commenting on how the council continued to hold him back?_

"_Are you going to organize a party to celebrate, Sakura-chan?" he asked, soulless when speaking to her, shining and beautiful when of Him._

_Sakura's eyes turned red – but she forced a smile on her face. "N-yes." No, she wasn't, but-"Are you coming?"_

"_When is it?"_

"_Oh, I'm just asking right now to find out which date and hour would fit everyone's schedule and then I'll decide," she said, cheerful-_

_-Naruto grinned. "Oh, I see. I'm sorry, but I can't go."_

_She bristled and fumed and hid the puffy eyes. "Naruto, you don't even know when it is! Besides, it would be nice to meet everyone again, don't you think so?" _

"_Yeah, that is true," he said slowly, actual care finding its way to his voice – and Sakura's hopes. She watched him, rooted to the spot, anticipating the response that would change everything-no… Not everything, right? Oh, no. He would go to her fictitious party and stuff himself with copious amounts of food. And he would laugh, crack jokes, drink sake with them and frolic. Frolic! Rejoice. Rekindle their camaraderie. She'd decided. But?_

"_You could bring Sasuke along," she added quickly, smiling at him. "I wouldn't mind. No-one would. It's been years, after all, and we all know he's not, you know…"_

"_A sociopath?" he offered and she was blind and foolish to note the spreading ice in his voice; she was too hopeful, too intoxicated by the prospect of Naruto showing for the first time in long years to spend quality time with his old friends and far, far away from his duty, even if said duty stood broodingly against the wall, communicating with hate and distaste. _

"_Yeah, that. Bring Sasuke, it'll be, hm… Grand. Yes. We'll catch up. I mean, I heard you had some time off, right? You and Sasuke, so that'd be great."_

_And she looked at him._

_And she looked at shards of hate sown all across his face, patches of ashen strewn in between the natural tan. _

"_No," he replied, turning on his heel. "I can't."_

_Sakura persisted, ignoring the previous signs, because – hate, for her? Impossible, impossible, that was… Blasphemous. She laughed it off. "Sasuke could? Come on, Naruto, we have so much to talk about, don't you think so?"_

_Don't you think so didn't mean "you're welcome to express your disagreement", it meant "right". _

_Then why, why did Naruto-"Nah, not really."-negate her ferrous joy, why did he-"We can't. Sasuke wouldn't want to."_

"_Then you? What about you? You could come, right?"_

_He wanted to, didn't he? See everyone, speak to people and reconnect. Surely… Surely he had to, of course._

_Of course._

_Naruto's features became the ice that didn't melt. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan, but we won't be coming." _

_No last glance was thrown in her eyes. As if refusing to see the hurt in her eyes, he turned on his heel and walked away._

_In the distance not so distant, a figure appeared by his side – and Sakura only then realized Sasuke had passed by her. And she'd not seen it._

_She saw Naruto stop, saw the way he looked at Sasuke – and saw even from where she'd been left hanging, as their hands brushed – and connected to be held for a brief moment, and they leaned in – almost as it to greet each other with a kiss, before Naruto nudged Sasuke in the side and laughed out loud._

_And Sasuke, as he caught up with him, smiled._

_Sakura closed her eyes._

_And became one with ignorance._

A choked sob was heard as its owner – tried to repress it.

It was futile.

Already, all eyes had rested on Naruto's shaking form, on the shoulders to receive the full strength of that blow. By godly power he'd been struck and the only thing to save him from falling to his knees – was him already sitting down.

Yet.

He slid backwards as if falling and despite remaining in the seated position, he gave off the impression of free fall; the unwilling thrill-seeker of that adrenaline sport he was, features so deeply contorted – it was Naruto. They were looking at the part of the true Naruto hiding underneath the cheerful and carefree personality, the true He they were to see once most of the crust of the years was swept under the carpet. With all out of the way, the path had been cleared, and the visage of the over-powering, all-powerful, omniscient, omnipotent god – was gone. Who remained behind – was Naruto.

Naruto who looked up and let out a faint cry.

"Why don't I remember it? Why don't I remember a damn thing-why did I do that? Sakura-chan, I am-I. Why. I don't get it. I don't remember a thing. I don't even remember…"

Sakura's eyes were open and staring blankly ahead, sympathy a foreigner in her land. "Sasuke. You don't even remember that moment with Sasuke. Maybe you're thinking now – what if all those stories you'd shared with us were fabricated, what if none of that was true?" A sigh of liberation. "No. I know what I saw. Of course, I did a good job of ignoring it, but I know now it wasn't the first time I'd seen it happen. You and Sasuke were so captivated by each other that you didn't even consider the option of being with us."

"I ditched you," said Naruto.

"You ditched us," agreed Sakura.

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

Nothing.

Shikamaru saw Naruto's body tip forward-

-saw Sakura's lower lip tremble-

-saw Naruto rush towards her, grab her the shoulders and close his eyes, expecting a slap, but Sakura clamped her mouth shut and abruptly shook her head side to side to say no or stop or something of that obstinate sort-

-before a grimace of grief came over her features.

The hands fell back, revealing for the world to see the complete look of anguish that had possessed her years back – that only now was making its presence known.

Naruto grabbed her hands.

"Your skin is so cold, Naruto," she choked out, but didn't free herself from his hold, instead wrinkling her brows, a helpless child seeking comfort.

"Is it too late to say I'm sorry, Sakura-chan?" he asked her, maybe pleading to be told either, and Sakura let out an anguished howl and brought him to her chest in a firm, clinging hug.

Sai scooted a bit further away, sympathy for the fools in his eyes, and Shikamaru's lips quirked upwards into a wan, helpless smile as he let this discovery settle in. Sakura and Naruto talked for a few, whispering strange nothings from the past to each other, sweet-talking much like lovers re-united, and for a while, Shikamaru thought it a pity; they could have been perfect together, really perfect. With Sakura's compassion and great heart she'd have complemented any flaw of Naruto's. And with his as great a heart and the determination and will to persecute any evil, he'd have only filled her life with purpose. In an alternative universe, Sakura and Naruto may have been the perfect couple, forming the nuclear family, the picture perfect. Looking at them now – caught in an embrace and speaking in hushed slurs lacking any coherence – filled Shikamaru with much regret over their shattered future. If they'd only tried, things would have worked out and they could be lovers now, tempted to exchange a kiss to re-seal their unity, shy to do so under the stares of everyone around, before giving in and – being happily in love.

Shikamaru knew he was hoping for the kiss, for the act to correct any past misgivings and lead the astray feet back onto the proper path of life. What could Sasuke offer Naruto that Sakura lacked? How could Sasuke make up for his anatomy? He'd fail where Sakura could succeed with ease, and while Shikamaru knew not everyone was built for family, not everyone possessed the substance necessary to create new life and properly nurture it to health, Naruto wanted to have children, didn't he? He'd professed the desire himself, but there Sasuke would fail. There, Naruto would fail Sasuke's desire to revive Uchiha clan, there… So many failures.

Shack up with a girl, let her be the housewife, the wife and leading force of your life… _Ha._ Was that such a bad idea? Shikamaru smiled in the humorless, sardonic way only he could pull off.

Nah, Naruto and Sakura could never be together. Sasuke could never be with a woman. Who would handle Sasuke, who would make him feel complete? And who could replace Sasuke's place in Naruto's heart, when his whole life Naruto had only searched for someone like Sasuke? Shikamaru found it… Sad.

Sakura and Naruto had pulled away, sitting with small distance between them, and seeing their readiness to resume, Shikamaru cleared out his throat and leaned forward.

"Now that you are… Finished," he started, but the involuntary flinch forced him to pause; would this ever reach its ending, would anyone ever feel content with apologies that were years late? Shikamaru sighed and let it, this time, slide. "Basically, Naruto, the conclusion we all reached – and I do believe so have you… There appears to be a block keeping hundreds, perhaps, of memories repressed. This last memory was special for one reason, as it showed your willingness to ditch everyone for Sasuke. I think it'd be logical to conclude that the memories that further and stronger establish this reality, too, would suffer from lack of remembrance."

"Suffer from lack of remembrance?" repeated Naruto, eyes widening by a fraction, recognition flickering in his eyes. "I'm listening," he added in a quieter, subdued tone.

Suspicious, Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. In silent contemplation, he moved one shogi piece across the board, eyes following the trail of loss it left behind. "The question remains, why would the block exist? Is it there to protect you from the reality you caused yourself? To make you forget how eager you were to forget everyone else for Sasuke? Hm… I wonder. When did it begin? Which memory was the first to fall victim to your love for Sasuke? And why, why, I have to ask, why did it have to happen in the first place? What horrendous act, perhaps, happened to elicit such a reaction from your memory? Wise as it would be to call it self-defense mechanism, I have to ask – defense against whom?"

A shaky breath escaped past Naruto's lips.

Further, Shikamaru's eyes narrowed, resembling snake-like slits through which he observed the victim about to be devoured.

Naruto's eyes, in an unspoken testimony, met the ground.

Shikamaru's jawline clenched.

_He knows something he's not telling us. Which part of what I said triggered the memory? Which part is he thinking about now?_

Like a forsaken memory, Naruto's voice, resonating with everyone's soul, drifted around. "Was I, at any part of my life, truly ashamed of this, as much as I am ashamed of it now? Yet bearing the knowledge of my past sins does not invoke the strong feelings of hate to push the memories away again. I fail to come up with a plausible reason for any of this, for the collection of the memories to have been discarded. I don't understand – how, why I'd ever forget, because as I am now, living with the knowledge, I feel… There is, yes, a part of me that yearns for the bad to be forgotten, but I know myself. I know this is just me hoping to make up for it somehow. In any way. To do… Something…"

"You will eventually, you have all the time in the world," said Sakura to help-Naruto's eyes became glassy, bitterness etched carnally into his features, like a parasite feeding on his very soul.

"Yeah. But this would mean something happened, no? Something specific that made me wish to forget… So much that I did, in fact, forget."

"A trauma to the heart, eh," commented Shikamaru, surprised to hear how dreamy his own voice sounded even to his ears. "There is, yes… Certainly a possibility that at one point of your life, at that point no-one present is familiar with, a tragic accident, perhaps, made you crave forgetting so much that it made the wish come true. Now to only figure out the tragedy, eh?"

Naruto's entire form slumped, the shoulders rigidly held up and eyes reading the played moves on the shogi board.

"No-one knows," he spoke. "There is someone… But that person is gone."

"Narut-"

Sakura's protests died on her lips as Naruto gathered himself to his feet. "In a week's time, we will find Sasuke. In the meantime, I'm gathering all Konoha ninja, calling them from their missions. It's only logical to assume Sasuke is readying his own private army, so we will intercept his attack and make the first move. I know he's anticipating that. He knows how impatient I am, so I'll play my role accordingly." Barren, his voice sounded, darker than the darkness of the room. "We will smoke him out of his hiding."

Ignoring her shock of the sudden topic change, Sakura let out a reproachful scoff, doubt showing in her eyes – along with a glaring plea for an end. "And what then? Naruto, what then?"

Naruto's lips parted, soft breeze elusively passing by them in the mockery of a loving caress. "I won't say the words, Sakura-chan. I won't ever say the words. At least not now. Only once will I say them, only once – when the time is right, when I give the order."

Sai shook his head, enraptured by disbelief that prompted him to stand up and throw his hands around in so much emotion Shikamaru thought the male would be torn later on; he'd be proud for feeling this profoundly, let down by the circumstances that had forced his mind to act like that. Maybe, Sai had been hoping to become a human like the rest of them under the pretense of time, surrounded by love and care rather than the hurt and anger he felt, but already – Shikamaru applauded his humanity, as it was stronger than the look of a glistening china doll on Naruto's face.

"Kill? Are you going to kill Sasuke-kun? I-you can't-Naruto I-please. Can you really? Can you really? We did not shake our heads at the meeting just to see you eventually make that mistake. We did not stand up for your feelings, Naruto, just to see them go!" The anger Sai had spoken of before was presenting itself in the ugliest form known to mankind and Naruto did not wince under its grip, merely looking back at him with as much deprecation as he could muster – or the only thing he felt at the moment.

But then- they all witnessed.

How Naruto's eyes filled with pearls that wouldn't trail down to kiss his cheeks.

He didn't have a choice.

And they all saw that.

Sai recoiled.

Sakura looked away.

Shikamaru looked him deeply in the eye.

Naruto swallowed – hard and a tremor went through his body and Shikamaru saw – he saw how the blond paled, how his figure tensed and a hand twitched upwards as if to do something, but was forced to hang in terse limpness by his side.

_Like that time, that time – when he had the attack, when he almost-_

"I'm the Hokage now."

_Died._

"What Sasuke did-what he did… Launching an attack on Konoha-just. Walking down the path of an avenger again-okay-I-I-what I feel for him. What I really feel for him… In the grand scheme of things, did that ever, ever matter?"

Shikamaru understood.

In the grand scheme of things, Naruto's feelings for Sasuke… Had never mattered. For them, for anyone in this world, they never had. What Naruto felt for Sasuke – they'd come to fully acknowledge only during the meeting that had seen Naruto's rendezvous with his pitfall, with the opened rift of blackness stemming from his very pain.

In a mad frenzy, in the feeble attempt to cover up own tracks, in the agonized half-screams, half-pleas, Naruto continued, lower lip quivering, brows tightly knitted together in a line painfully arched over his brows and the pearls in his eyes turned into chiseled diamonds, as raw as his love for Sasuke was small. "No-one may have been hurt, not directly, but it can't be forgiven. Sasuke must pay for his act of treason, for the treacherous… For _that_. Alleged betrayal or not, hurt feelings or not – _it's too late for all that_." No sob, no cry, just his voice becoming dead, withered like a flower caught in blizzard. "I thought it right to tell you all, but I understand now it's too late. I could ask you to understand, but I don't understand myself, and I can't have you share that with me."

A shallow breath taken-

"Your support came too late. My realization of the past – too late. Now, I must be the leader, not the wounded, not the victim. And the leader in me knows sacrifices need to be made. Just as before when I'd sacrificed my bonds to keep the one with Sasuke as far from the cutting blade as possible, now I must sever it myself. Sever it, as he severed it himself that day. I am not here for me; I am here for the people. And the people demand justice."

A twitch-

-Naruto was walking away.

"YOU'RE WRONG!"

Sakura's yell stopped him.

With tears in her eyes and patches of shameful self-hate on her face, she'd stopped him. "I am people, we here are people-WE ARE THE PEOPLE YOU SPEAK OF! And we want justice, yes, but we want you to be happy. When will you learn, Naruto, that you're not alone to bear this? When will you learn – that just as you carried Sasuke's pain for him, we can carry yours? When will you finally – FINALLY! … FINALLY let us in?"

The girl in her, harboring a painful, helpless crush on Sasuke, returned to be enamored with the blaze of Naruto's self-sacrifice.

"When-when-when-"-she clutched her stomach, shaky legs barely supporting the weight of her words but she would not relent, nearing Naruto and using the violence to curl her hands around his shirt and SLAM him against the wall. "When, Naruto?" And she cried openly, vigilantly, stubbornly. "I too appointed you the Hokage. And Shikamaru, and Ino and even her unborn child. The voice of thousands poured all the trust and love into one sole figure, into you, and we request to see that love, we request to be treated with as much love as we feel for this idol made of gold, yet you would give us pain, you would shower us with tears, you would-inflict-INFLICT this on us, you selfish, selfish, little… You little… Little…"

A choked gasp-

-Naruto cupped her cheek tenderly into his hand.

Leaned in to tinker with the distance separating them, to bid it farewell and plant a chaste, sweet kiss on Sakura's forehead.

"You are fantastic, Sakura-chan. Never change, please. Never change. Not for me, not for everyone else." He pulled away, a serene and peaceful smile on his face.

Sakura's heart, surely exactly as Sai's and Shikamaru's, stopped.

"I need to go back to work. I have so much to do… I enjoyed this, however. I enjoyed seeing you all like this, even if the group is not complete." Like Sakura didn't even exist, Naruto wiggled out of her hold, wriggling away and stopping at the doorway. "When this is all done, let's meet again, okay? All of us, all of my friends. And I promise to at least blink, okay?"

_Blink… At least blink?_

Naruto walked away. For once, he used the front door. Shikamaru was shot by the many memories of the past; before becoming the Hokage, Naruto would often use the windows like a self-proclaimed rebel without cause, surprising the hell out of Shikamaru by randomly popping around the corner, his chakra signature so well masked Shikamaru could not longer sense his presence. Out of anyone in the world, he was probably the only person right after Sasuke to have still kept in touch with Naruto, to have seen, witnessed personally his decline… And eventually born witness to the demise.

_Naruto._

_Why._

_Why does it feel… Suddenly, like I'll never see that happen again? Like he'll never walk through my window again, never try to scare the daylights out of me, never play a prank, never talk my ear off about Sasuke, never proclaim his love for the world, never… never, ever laugh again? _

_Why?_

Before he knew it, he was running after Naruto, Sai and Sakura's frozen frames left in his living room. Into the rain he walked, into the night already turning brighter, soon to welcome the sun, and he saw Naruto's figure stop in the middle of the road emptied of all life, saw the rain embrace his smothered silhouette like a drawing from a film Noir, saw the man look up.

He stopped, mere feet away.

Naruto's eyes were directed at the sky.

Shikamaru's couldn't follow them. "Are you…" His heart dropped. "Are you crying, Naruto, or is it just the rain?"

Gentleness tugged at the corners of Naruto's lips and he turned to him-

"Don't tell anyone, Shikamaru."

-showing the tender trail of blood tickling from the corner of his mouth.

"It's going to be over soon," he continued, voice carried through the melodic drumming of the rain, thundering through like the disaster brought to Earth. "I promise you that. Soon, soon this entire fiasco will be over, I know that. For once, I will really act the Hokage, I will really act the Hokage I'd always, always dreamed of becoming, so old man Sarutobi won't have to feel ashamed, so my dad, the Fourth, won't have to roll around in his grave."

He left.

Shikamaru's figure sank down.

_Don't you know, Naruto, that already you are that Hokage? Don't you know you're everything we could have ever, ever hoped for?_

_Don't you?_

_DON'T YOU?_

_Sasuke, what foul secrets do you two share, what-WHAT-_

_-do I have to do to finally mend the wounds our ignorance had created?_

"Shikamaru-"

Oh, dear Sakura behind him…

Shikamaru coughed-

-and hit the ground with his fists.

"It's not too late. It's NEVER too late. If that fool ever taught us a thing, then it's that… IT'S NEVER TOO LATE."

_I will fix you, I swear I will._

_I swear we will, Naruto, just you wait._

_Just you wait…_

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Morning came.

Dew dripped down the leaves, too heavy to be eternally their faithful a companion. It hit the ground below, smeared across it, but in Yamato's eyes, the sight of the drops disappearing – the sight of Naruto's bluest of blues watching it with unbidden captivation, could never be forgotten.

As if in his short life, he'd not seen a beauty greater than that.

Only unwillingly did Yamato interrupt the young man's musings. "Have you… Have you found something?"

With care, Naruto's fingers caressed one strand of grass. On his fingertip, one droplet had stuck and he stood up slowly, catering to the drop as if sentient it were, until – it trailed down, landing in his palm and there it died. Naruto's eyes much like child's widened. "Sasuke was here."

"Can you tell?"

"It smells like Sasuke," replied Naruto simply.

Yamato's brows wrinkled. Suddenly, he regretted offering to come along. Kakashi, yes, Kakashi certainly had more patience to deal with this, but lacking the care the other possessed left Yamato with only his stoic and placated nature. That, as he realized, didn't suffice with the person to appreciate every little detail like a man with his eyesight returned to him. Naruto really was acting like someone either just born – or ready to die.

Distressed by the thought, Yamato stepped closer to him. "What do you mean it, uh, smells like Sasuke?"

"His chakra," said Naruto, giving him a dreamy look. "I can tell. I spent so much time around Sasuke that I got to know his chakra well. It… I guess it has a certain smell. Fragrance of power and-huh…" He trailed off and, cryptic, averted his eyes. "Agony, too."

Chakra with smell of power and agony, huh? Yamato knew he'd not heard of similar thing, but maybe those were the words of someone in love, meant to elude those to have never gone through anything of that sort. Again, he found himself hoping Kakashi would appear around the corner as he tended to, surprising them all with a lame excuse pardoning his sudden appearance, before pretending a divine power had sent for him, excusing any pathetic reasoning of his. Yet-yet, of course, given how far they were from Konoha and how Naruto had sent Kakashi with a different team in the opposite direction, Yamato very much doubted salvation would arrive.

Which meant-"I see."-he'd have to deal with this Naruto on his own.

Oblivious to his thoughts, Naruto walked on, sometimes stopping here and there to smell the air like of the Inuzuka bloodline, Yamato sourly trailing behind. Further and further away from Konoha they got, reaching the borders, the whole time walking in complete, nerve-grating silence. Yamato thought he was missing something, details none of them before could have noticed, yet Naruto here was picking up on the trail to have long gone beyond cold, confident in his steps and almost as if in a trance.

Many long moments later, during which several of the teams had reported finding nothing, during which Yamato warned Naruto they were soon going to get too far for their communication devices to properly work – which would result in general panic – Naruto halted. The sudden stop of their journey brought a relieved sigh from Yamato.

"Have you lost the trail?"

Instead of responding, Naruto pointed a finger in a random direction, face scrunched up in thought. "Say, what's in there?"

"In there," repeated Yamato dully, unwillingly following the trail of Naruto's finger. What was there… Well, trees? And the border and-oh. "Uh, there is a small village not far from here, perhaps less than a mile away, it was settl-oh, wait!"

Naruto had sped off, a flash of yellow disappearing in the distance and Yamato cussed under his breath. A few more steps further the devices buzzed and the signal went out. Yamato tried to estimate how long before everyone in Konoha went mad with panic, but still he ran after Naruto, knowing this moment wasn't the best of times to be getting strictly law-abiding, when letting Naruto out of sight could get him a lynching.

A mile later, he found Naruto stood at the nearby building marking the beginning of the settlement, and he heaved out a deep sigh, thinking of so many things to say-

"Sasuke was here," Naruto said and as their eyes met, Yamato was startled to see the golden hue.

_Sage mode? He must be serious._

He sighed, hiding his troubles for now. "You say Sasuke was here? Alright, we'll search the village."

"Now," interjected Naruto, boldly passing by the measly pair of guards positioned at the make-shift gates and ignoring with vehemence their dismayed protests – which died on their lips the moment Naruto's Hokage robes billowed past them, recognition flickering in their beady eyes. Yamato gave them both a polite nod and again – again – trailed after Naruto.

The villagers were few and far between, the houses as scattered around as the lines on a palm, but the few to register their figures to stick out like sore thumbs gave flabbergasted gasps and hasty, rigorous bows.

Naruto ignored them.

He walked on, Yamato a step away, but many moments later, he ran out of patience. "Naruto, what exactly are we searching for here? It's a sleepy village, it's barely even made it to the map," he said, irritation in careful doses lacing his words.

From the corner of his eyes, Naruto looked at him, the dreamy quality long gone, determination setting all muscles in place. "I told you, didn't I, taichou? I can tell Sasuke was here. It's the Sharingan, see? It uses chakra, right, and chakra leaves behind a certain signature, a certain – yeah, smell. For me, it is smell or a feeling. It's the something to make my skin prickle. That's how I-hm. When Sasuke disappeared the night of the attack, that's how I found him; I simply followed the trail. I sensed smoldering bouts of that in the forest where Sasuke placed the seal. Although… Weird. It really should have disappeared after so many months, unless-"

"Sasuke either left it here on a purpose or-"

"He passed by not that long ago."

Naruto nodded and Yamato mulled it over; as shady as this skill was, he thought it handy at the given moment, even though he knew it couldn't be applied to vast places. Only by accident had Naruto picked up on it, leading them in an odd direction before finally gracing Yamato with the reason.

Left to right Yamato looked, before altogether giving up and admitting to himself – this was Naruto's task. He saw and felt nothing, only the mundane people living in a mundane world, and the normalcy, simplicity of this life almost called out to him; he couldn't imagine never walking down the path of ninja, but the idea of living only for own sake was a simpler, kinder life many would dream of grasping firmly in their hands. Having been on the receiving end of Naruto's misery, Yamato found himself considering this dream as his own – and asking himself how come he lacked the longing. Maybe, the wife, the children really weren't for him and the idea of coming home to something was a foreign one, speaking to him in tongues he didn't wish to decipher.

But he was walking alongside Naruto and, maybe, this was the man's dream and not his own. Maybe, the mood hugging the younger one was rubbing off and Yamato's current chain of succinct ideals and hopes was the projection of a heart not his own, of desires that willingly would alienate him from the world. Maybe-

Yamato closed his eyes.

_These aren't my dreams, Naruto. What are you if you can make me consider even the future I don't hold dear? _

As if sensing the thought, Naruto stopped and Yamato's heart brooded and frowned, in utter disagreement with that option, but – he was hoping. Hoping Naruto had heard, so Naruto could dissuade the sudden craving for difference, for-"Yamato-taichou, you look weird."-for. Uh. Honesty.

Yamato blinked. "Have you found anything?"

Naruto's golden hues found a house forlornly standing on the far end of the road, isolated from the rest by a dirty path leading up to the front door, obscured partially from sight by the trees guarding it in a half-circle.

"The trail leads there?" asked Yamato, but the answer was clear to him. Not waiting for any spoken confirmation, he stepped onto the dirty path, Naruto, again, a few steps ahead of him, his figure a statue brought to life and overtaking all obstacles as if they were old friends re-acquainted. Yamato really felt nothing – but by proxy, his skin tingled, a violent sensation worming its way under his skin.

"Naruto-"

"I know."

Wordlessly, the distance was crossed and Naruto knocked on the front door – then again and again and again, rapidly, hastily, until from behind the door the sound of feet quickly sliding across the floor and shuffling towards was heard and a woman with chocolate eyes adorned by black hair soon welcomed them with fear in her posture.

"I-I, can I help you-can I-is that… Ho-…?" She gasped, hands flying to her lips and Naruto gave her a humorless smile to outlast her shock. "Hokage-sama, I-I… Why-oh. I…" Paling incredibly, she inched from the door and, feeling self-conscious, tucked a few strands of hair behind her ears; a round, heart-shaped and moderately attractive face was revealed, with the skin-tone abandoned by sun and complexion eternally marked by tons of little wrinkles like scars.

She could have been in her mid-twenties, a year or two older than Naruto, but the aged fear on her face stole away a great portion of her beauty and youth.

Yamato knew immediately what he was looking at and the knowledge left a bitter taste on his mouth.

Naruto, whether he noticed or not, opted to cut straight to the chase. "Actually, yes, I'm looking for someone. Happen to see a guy a bit taller than me, pale like a stupid mof-hm… Well, pale-"

Yamato almost rolled his eyes. "Uchiha. You've heard of Uchiha Sasuke, haven't you? The last remaining Uchiha?"

Trembling, the woman shook her head and, nervous, twiddled her thumbs. "Ah, no, I'm afraid."

"Are we interrupting something?" continued Yamato, assuming the leading role in the unexpected interrogation.

Again, the woman shook her head, eyes searching for an obscured figure in the depths of her abode. "I-no, no, I was just speaking to my anata-"-she stopped herself with a frightened shriek, holding her breath, expecting, maybe, a sudden misfortune to claim her life, but under their deadpan expressions, she relaxed. "I… No. No. I was speaking to my boyfriend."

"Anata," muttered Naruto under his breath, crossing his hands over his chest. "You called him anata before… That's reserved for spouses only, but if he's your boyfriend…?"

"Ah, yes," she gasped out, managing a twitching, comical smile. "It's not very conventional, I know, but we've been together for such a long time, haven't we? Um, Anata!"

Up to twenty feet behind her, a man around her age appeared, as distressed and unnerved as she and Yamato's eyes narrowed.

"I see," he replied. Next to him, Naruto shifted and he felt the suspicion in Naruto's tense muscles and unnaturally shaded, gleaming eyes.

"Anyway, if that's all, if you would…" The woman readied to close the door. Having no hard evidence, Yamato relented, a curt nod given and he looked at Naruto to consult this strange occurrence with him-

Naruto slammed his hand into the door and held it open.

"Yeah, sorry, but no."

She had no choice. She stood no chance.

Yamato tried to stop him-

"You met Sasuke. I can tell. I can feel his presence all over your place. One question of the many is – why wouldn't Sasuke erase your memory, hm?"

Naruto's voice boomed through like dozens of bullets released to pierce through the air and impact with bone. Stunned, Yamato followed the confident leader inside. Stunned, he expressed no remorse for the woman to scamper away and her partner to come close, hold her dear and keep her body from hitting the ground.

In the middle of the hallway, Naruto stood. Just to see his exact expression, Yamato walked around-

-the golden eyes were wide, mercilessly empathetic and pitying, directed on the woman.

"Tell me, please… Tell me the truth."

He was pleading to her humanity and compassion, pleading with eyes openly grieving, before her the landscape of his charred mind revealed.

And she gathered herself to her feet, eyes still impossible wide and fearful, but then – she threw herself on him and grasped his hands.

"PLEASE! Please don't punish him, don't punish the man! He saved me!"

Yamato watched the start of that exchange, infuriated with her pleas already and knowing they were to intensify.

Naruto, however, looked helplessly amiable and understanding. "Who did? Sasuke? What happened?"

"My husband, my-"-the woman's lower lip suffered from the violent touch of fear and furor entered her cheeks, leaving them a bloodied shade of suffering. "He was a bad man, a very bad man. A bandit, he terrorized our people, he had his own group, he was-he was an evil man, a bad man. I had to marry him. I believed in him first, believed I could change him, but then the news of his previous wives and their fates reached my ears. I heard what a vile creature he was, how he'd killed them off one after another. I was so… So broken, so afraid. I was so alone in my fears, until I met Yuki-dono here, and I fell in love… I fell deeply in love. I hid the affair from my husband for as long as I could but… But." She coughed out a few tears and pained moans.

"You were discovered," said Naruto, the voice of his a lulling caress of care.

She sobbed. "Yes… Yes. I thought that would be the end of me, but then the Uchiha came… I know, I know! I'd heard of his betrayal and thought he'd take my life, but instead he took my husband. He used those red eyes on him and my husband went silent, still, and the young man took him away-I don't know, to this day why he did that. I fell unconscious and when I woke up, my husband was gone… Gone. I was so happy, so very happy…"

Yamato placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, watching the woman unglue her hands from the blond's and fearfully shrink away.

"Naruto…"

"I know," said the male. "I know…"

Abuse screamed from her in waves.

"Please, don't bring my husband back… I know what the Uchiha did, I do, but he freed me, he set me free. Every day I await my husband's arrival, every day so tense, but he doesn't come and I hope – he never will. I hope he is dead…" Her man embraced her and she snuggled into his arms; his touch as if magical wiped all remnants of fear from her face, charming peace into her eyes.

"He was evil," spoke the man, Yuki. "Since his disappearance, we've been happy. We might be afraid of his arrival, but deep inside we know he is gone. And the terror that seized our hearts – too. I know we may have requested Hokage-sama's help, I know we would have received it, but we were too afraid, all of us, to look for help where it would be given. But then Uchiha Sasuke came – and saved us. Like he saved many others."

Naruto's shoulders tensed. "More people taken by Sasuke?"

"Gossip," murmured Yamato, but Yuki shook his head.

"Maybe gossip for you, but we hear the news – of the bad sort disappearing, mysteriously kidnapped in the deep of the night and never heard of again. It might be Uchiha Sasuke doing it, it might be anyone else, but we know to whom our gratitude belongs, we know when to give our thanks… And we know that whoever it is – we owe him our lives." Gravely he finished, cradling his darling girl in his arms and pressing a kiss on the corner of her lips in an unabridged, shameless display of love.

Yamato observed with grief as Naruto's eyes turned away from the scene.

_You can't look, Naruto, can you? At people who found each other and won't ever have to suffer from the absence of love._

Naruto stepped away, yielding. "I understand. You wouldn't betray him even if you knew where he was. I can't blame you for that."

A grim look in his eyes, Yamato cast the savages a suspicious glare. "Naruto, we can't just leave them. You know well as I do that-"

"I do. I do… But they don't know more." Like someone who'd just lost everything, Naruto turned on his heel. "… Thank you. For the little you could share. I swear to you, you won't have to suffer like that again."

"Under your rein?"

Naruto's figure became a mud-covered diamond blunted. "Under anyone's."

Without further ado, he stalked out and Yamato followed him in anger. He didn't care for hearing range and such, and the moment the door closed behind them, he stopped the figure intent upon going as far as possible.

"Naruto, that was a mistake. They need to be interrogated, brought to Konoha and tested. We can't be sure if Sasuke really was-and yes, I know you sensed him, but their claims are absurd. If they were right, then."

That was the moment when, according to the schedule, Naruto would interrupt him with words reeking of mutiny and self-pity, finishing the thought for him and wrapping it up as any reader of a story would wish.

Instead, Naruto moved out of his reach, prompting the fury to rise for – how irresponsible of the man. Didn't he understand the consequences of letting this fly? Didn't Naruto know what absurdity they were facing in case of accepting those words at a face value without any inspection? There would be a hearing, there would be an interrogation, yes, and a team dispatched to the small village to scout the surroundings for any further traps and similar snares intended for the Konoha nin to get too close to Sasuke. They'd map out the surroundings, jot down anything suspicious, report their findings and eventually-

"Can we really ruin their peace?"

-turn the village inside out…

Yamato's anger was snuffed out and – try hard as he might, it refused to hear his calling, leaving him with the idea of guilt and remorse that he'd rather chew on and spit out but-but.

He didn't welcome concern. He didn't welcome the attachment he felt to someone who'd barely studied under him, to a boy this stupid and ugh, plain frustrating. Naruto and his visions of a better future, Naruto and his infamous dreams, beliefs and all that acting a constant hindrance to-to.

_To being just a ninja and not a man. It's so easy to hide under the mask of an unfeeling monster and not feel the slightest of guilt, and so hard to cling onto that idea whenever you are around, Naruto… You are the bane of any cold heart, you fool and young visionary. _

When did Yamato begin to feel the weight of this world so intimately? When did he begin to note what ray of darkness the ninja would leave behind as a signature touch of their masked feelings? They were trained to kill and execute any order without hesitation, but under Naruto's even diminished radiance, he felt heaved down.

_I can't stay angry at you, Naruto, even though I know I should. Or should I? Hm, it's irritating if I have to question anything I say, it's annoying to be on the receiving end of this… This, however to call it. It's… Oh, lord. I might have finally figured out how you managed to reach Sasuke. How-_

A notion of truth hit him.

_If Sasuke really did feel that for you as Shikamaru and many others claimed, as your stories said, then how could he ever abandon it? How could Sasuke ever willingly remove himself from the presence of someone that can change the world? Was he suffocated by the strength of your warmth, was he… Did he see something we didn't? Could the betrayal truly be alleged?_

Naruto's shaky, shuddering breath echoed around.

"We'll need to search all the villages in the country. If what they said is true… Yeah. The men that attacked Konoha back then… Could they have been just criminals deserving of death? Did Sasuke pass judgment on them and claim their lives as his own exactly as they'd spread fear and terror?"

Yamato surveyed him with – pity. It was pity. Now, he would admit that to himself. Watching Naruto's back invoked such a myriad of feelings in him that he felt socially inept and lost, a bit like the child watching the back of its father and reaching out with the puny, fat hands to be carried on the broad shoulders, sit there astride and watch the beauty of the world as only the father could sketch it out.

"Knowing Sasuke, what do you think he'd have done?" Uncertain whether he wished to know the truth, Yamato took one last look at the house behind them.

"Knowing Sasuke… Did I ever…"

_Did you ever know him, Naruto? Will your feelings of loss cloud your judgment, will you become bitter because of what you suffered?_

"… Yeah. Knowing Sasuke, he would have done that. For some stupid, noble reason."

Masking his true feelings, Yamato focused harder on the house, doing a sickly marvelous job of ignoring the ghastly words – the touch of longing in Naruto's voice and the pain subtly folded in the undertones.

_I'm sorry, Naruto, I can't help you with this. I can't aid you as you would need, I can't do a thing._

The scene from such a long ago – depicting Shikamaru with hot tears spilling down his cold cheeks and crying about their errors – flashed in front of his eyes.

So very out of the blue, Yamato thought he could sympathize. If the tremors in his limbs, if the clenching of his heart stood for anything, then after such a tremendous time, he could sympathize.

And relate.

"We should get going," ordered Naruto.

Without any sound protests, they set off back to Konoha, walking slowly as if they had all the time in the world and Yamato – all of the sudden – realized Naruto was marveling at the way the ground disappeared and reappeared under his feet, at the brisk air in his face, touch of the sun on his skin.

A mile away from the village, just before the devices in their ears were to jump back to life, Yamato halted in his feet.

Naruto, blind to that, continued.

Yamato's blood, frosted from anguish, suffered from sudden rise of temperature, inflicting pain on him – that stemmed directly from his heart.

He understood.

"Naruto."

Didn't stop.

"Are you…?"

Stopped.

"Are you…"

And turned around.

Snakes of ashen chakra slithered underneath his skin.

"_Don't_," replied the man through gritted teeth. "Don't."

He staggered – _staggered, staggered! He'd staggered even before, how come I didn't see that?_ – towards a nearby tree inconspicuously lined amongst its brethren, placed a hand flat against it-

-shockwave hit Yamato square in the chest and he staggered back, nearly losing his footing.

Where the tree had been nothing stood to remind anyone if its existence, only the venomous touch of starkly blue chakra whipping at the splinters landing with belated reaction on the ground below. The dust settled. The ground knew no more. Annihilated to the last leave, the empty space yawned at the road with undignified moans of agony and Naruto's hand remained frozen, still outstretched, still tides of chakra emanating from the fingers.

The snakes had gone, released through tissue that Yamato only now saw had been ripped; as if someone had forced a rock through paper, the edges torn outwards and horribly disfigured.

Long minutes later, the wound was sealed shut and Yamato-

-steadily, labored breathing suppressed, focused chakra to his hands, made a number of complex seals, planted both hands onto the ground and a tree like a flower sprouted from the ground, replacing the ruined one.

What now?

"Sasuke is in the country."

Yamato blinked.

Naruto was looking at him, acting nonplussed and unperturbed by the display that had effectively dubbed all his claims of successful rejuvenation a lie. "Sasuke is in the country. I know that for certain now. I just realized-it's what he'd do. Sasuke never runs, Sasuke could never run. His pride wouldn't allow him that. Which means – somewhere in this country, he's got his own hideout, a place from where he could easily access any part of the country. Possibly, he's got tons of seals scattered all around the country. Possibly, we stand no chance of really finding him, but knowing him – the moment we're on the right track, he'll be alerted. I know that for sure now. Then, he'll wait no more and the last attack will be launched."

Yamato stood to his feet, finding it hard to forget what had just happened – but also astounded by this discovery.

"He would never go too far, it's not his style. He is close, very close… Now that I think about it…" Naruto looked at the road leading to Konoha. "I wouldn't put it beyond him to have a hideout right next to Konoha."

Alarmed, Yamato opened his mouth to speak-

-the sounds of many worried jounin entered his ears; they were within the range now, and testily Yamato responded to the calls, announcing simply they had suffered from no harm and were on their way back to Konoha with news. And when those had quieted down – several unpleasant minutes later – Yamato shot Naruto an expectant look.

"I'm not leaving this be, I hope you know. What just happened here… Naruto. Don't lie to me. If you say it had something to do with the betrayal again, I won't believe a word. There is something happening to you, I know that."

"Then finish it."

"Finish what?"

Naruto faced him. "Finish that sentence from before. You started it. Never finished it. Do it."

"I-"

"Do it, Yamato-taichou."

"Na-"

"_Finish it_."

Yamato clamped his mouth shut.

_What was I going to say, anyway? Was I going to… Imply something? _

When he didn't reply, Naruto frowned. "Taichou, if you can't finish what you started, don't start."

A jab of scold touched his mind and Yamato reeled. "You lied to us again, didn't you? I'm certain of it now. And I do have proof. My memory serves me well; they can extract it from me and it will show the chakra underneath your skin boiling like that time over a week ago. Naruto, don't treat me a fool. Tell me the truth."

"Would you swear to protect that secret with your life, would you swear on your life?"

"I-what? You can't be serious. Are you-…? Are you suggesting using the seal on me, too? Like on Shikamaru-"

"_I removed the seal from Shikamaru_."

The light of Naruto's voice had the power to erase all worries. Openly, Yamato gawked. "You did?"

Naruto grimaced. "I realized I can't keep secrets now, I realized keeping secrets would be an insult to what you did. Your efforts shouldn't be in vain, shouldn't be forgotten." Compliant, he closed his eyes. "There are no more secrets, Yamato-taichou."

His resolve weakened, Yamato fumbled around his mind for the right words, before stepping close instead and managing a deep and terrifying frown. "In such a case, what was that?"

"That was my chakra acting up."

"Betrayal again, is it?"

Naruto's eyes hardened and glazed over. "Is it so hard to believe, taichou, that knowing Sasuke may be the victim of our hate again, I wished death upon the whole of Konoha?"

Gaping much like a fish, mouth silently open and no words coming out, Yamato witnessed the complete ruin of his determination, and under this revelation, all persuasion buckled away.

As if traumatized by own words and caught in a memory lane, Naruto averted his eyes. "Is it? Because to me… It is."

He turned away.

"Let's go."

Yamato was stoic, impassive. A man of few words, eternally composed, self-taught in the mastery of word-craft and void of emotion.

But this moved him.

This – whatever it was, for the discoveries lacking fruits, the territory charted missing a map to bear evidence vouched against any utmost belief and notion – touched him.

_Do you, Naruto, love Sasuke? Love him still deeply? Was this a lie to distract me, to sow the seeds of doubt in my mind? Was it truly you thinking of betrayal, truly wishing death on us all? Could it be possible I'd discard all I know for the future you and Sasuke never shared? _

He followed him. Into the trees, far from the ground, into a world of bitter and make-believe.

_Knowing what you suffered through, however small a portion of the whole story, leaves me confused; is it love that drives you now, is it hate? Whichever it is – who are you directing it at, Naruto?_

_Who is to suffer now and ever again? _

_Should I believe Sasuke to be the victim… Should there be any victim at all, with all that's happened? _

_What do YOU really believe in… _

_Naruto?_

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

_He doubled over._

_And threw up. No. Almost. Almost. Because at the very last moment he swallowed the bile, although – it swallowed him back, pushing gruesomely back into the stomach where it churned and yeasted, growing, increasing, strengthening-_

Naruto, what have you done to yourself?

Why, why would you ever do to yourself, why… Why, Naruto.

_Sasuke knelt back, closed his eyes, head directed at the ceiling above. There were cracks on the walls and dust on the ground. The drapers were torn, floating at the slightest touch of wind. The furniture was untouched, the place – vacant._

_This cursed place had escaped Pain's attention._

_And it would live to see another disaster._

_So soiled the grounds were, bearing impeccable witness to much agony of the people to walk the earth, one with their blood and screams. Could the wretched buildings frozen in time ever – EVER – feel a damn thing, ever feel ANYTHING?_

_Sasuke's eyes opened – snapped – and trailed one crack spreading from one corner of the room to another, littered with dozens of others to create a complex intersection of promises never come true, of stories never shared for these walls were scrooges, pitiful, pathetic and refusing to share one bit of what they knew. If walls could talk, still these would not._

_Still, Sasuke knew, the walls of his old home would deny anyone the right of knowing._

_Still, he knew, that would carry the curse on their own._

_Still… Still they would reek of death as they had when first tainted by the blood of his parents._

_Still._

_The wretched, selfish things. _

_Still… So compliant with whatever reminiscent of excruciation was thrown at them._

_Sasuke growled – and forced himself to stand up._

_How much time did he have? Months, years? He was still so young, still too young to face that indisputable escape._

_Still – his damnest dream had not come true._

_Still._

_Just a child of twenty, so pure, so strong, so HIS._

_HIS AND NO-ONE ELSE'S!_

_Sasuke flung a table across the hall._

_It SHATTERED with a satisfying, sickening crush against the table and he stared the wooden fragments down with the eyes bleeding red of Sharingan. _

_Not enough. It wasn't enough. If he was right – no broken chair was enough. No broken ANYTHING would bring Him back, would return to him what he had lost._

_And against life he was to play a game of chess, yet he wasn't handed the correct pieces, the sole pawn to be laughed out, condemned for having ever dreamed._

_Of saving Him._

_He was gone in less than a blink of an eye, no dust to settle behind as his body blurred away and next – in the kitchen he was. Fine memories of a taint lingered there. He recalled they'd dined there, foolish, the stench of their repugnant blasphemous ideology giving every bite a specific taste of the forbidden kind._

_Down by the place where a table used to sit, he knelt, and breathed in, breathed out, this polluted air._

Time is of the essence, the essence which is us, us which is the no more than a speck of dust; despite all, we can't help but wonder – what is there to do… Naruto, what is? I'd only meant to say, only that… Yet you-you…

Why would you do that, why would you…

_Breathe in, breathe out-_

_-choked on air, feel strangled by invisible hands curled around his neck._

_And he wished them to be stronger, as strong his love for them._

_As strong his belief – he could make all go away._

I hurt you, Naruto. Once more I hurt you. Again I hurt you. Again you hurt. Again you suffer.

Again, Naruto, again.

_Contamination of his blood. Something was injected into his veins. It spread fast and he could marvel at the sudden change his bloodstream went through under seconds, could ponder at the magic of that one memory so daunting and plaintive he'd have it etched into his mind forever and ever. _

It was nothing, Naruto, nothing, just the words of a madman, yet you listened, you listened to me… You listened, you bloody idiot.

You fool.

YOU FOOL.

You fool…

_His forehead hit the ground._

_My _fool.

_How much time, he contemplated again. How much left, he returned to. Questions of cryptic qualities and the underlying ability to kill swam back to him, flooding him. Not the mind alone, not just the heart._

_Everything was flooded. If the mind were comparable to a cozy apartment, then his – was ruined. Nothing to salvage, nothing else. The walls soaked, the foundations crumbling, the paint peeled off, mould growing from the corners, a prelude to complete destruction._

I won't let it happen. I swear to you, Naruto, I will find a way. A way to stop this.

I will even if it costs me my LIFE.

_In the middle of a kitchen, from the floor he cut out a door. A plan was devised faster than thought came to be and came to die. _

_He couldn't use jutsu, for even now the district was under close watch. Even now, they'd watch it. Maybe a small one, yes, maybe-_

_-a homage to Him._

_No. Don't need any jutsu._

_It would help, speed up things, but his fingers made first contact with the hard, almost rocky soil underneath his old house and all thought of progressing faster was put out like the flame in a lantern. In the lieu of this discovery, Sasuke dug harder. It was stupid – using bare hands. It was stupid – building it. What would it be? A tunnel. A tunnel. He knew what needed to be done. To preserve the future of one light, he'd need to work in the darkness of the night. _

_Harder, he dug. Face scrunched up in fury – he dug. _

_He needed access. To the outside. Search there. No longer could he rely on himself. Not like that. If He wouldn't listen, if He would do that – then Sasuke needed a new approach. Outside laid the answers. But if he just left, suspicious they'd grow, and so would He. No. Keep Naruto calm. Must. Keep. Him. Calm._

_Or again. Again he will… Almost perish. Right in front of his eyes, like a snowflake that melted on a heated palm, like the burned out wood in a fireplace, turned ash and then whisked away by the wind. Like an ice statue – molten. _

_Get out and search there, find the answers there… Anything. Anything. _

I will…

_A battered hand made of broken nails, muddied skin, dirtied flesh and patches of red, of scrapped and bruised, caressed with love the soil._

I will dig this using just my hands… For you. When you find it – and you will, you know, I know you will, I hope you realize the truth.

I hope that fact will aid you along.

And in the end.

Save you, Naruto.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

"_Sasuke?"_

"_Hm?"_

"_Why do you kiss me?"_

"_Why, are you curious?"_

"_Well, obviously, why else would I be asking?"_

"_Does it bother you?"_

"_Eh…"_

"_Well, obviously, no? Why else would you be asking."_

"_That's not it."_

"_Then what is it, Naruto?"_

"_Hn, it's just… Why do you kiss me, Sasuke? You do it quite a lot lately."_

"_Hm."_

"_Oh, yeah, mister words are so beneath me. I get it, I get it, you don't ever comment on the obvious. But this isn't obvious. Not to me, anyway."_

"_You can be awfully dim, that's true."_

"_Hey."_

"_I'm surprised you'd even ask, considering how you evade the topic whenever it's brought up."_

"_Brought up? Oh, you mean brought up as in whenever you bring up your sudden fascination with kissing and ambush me-okay, Sasuke, off with that predatory glint in your eyes, k? We're still in the public."_

"_Hn, yet in said public, you are discussing our intimate lives."_

"'_Discussing our personal lives'… I wouldn't put it that way."_

"_In such a case, this topic concerns everyone and you should go ahead and broadcast your worries."_

"_Ugh, it does concern just us."_

"_Then what is your point, Naruto? Other than to repeatedly contradict yourself, of course, for which I applaud you."_

"_Do you?"_

"_No."_

"_Oh, well, screw you, man, screw you!"_

"_Hm."_

"_Ugh… Again with that hm. Hm here, hm there. What are you, Sasuke?"_

"_I believe the term is a man of few words."_

"_I believe a more befitting title on account of my experience with you would be – a jackass."_

"_Your degrading insults mean nothing to me, Naruto."_

_Naruto blocked his way._

"_Why do you kiss me? Is it for the same reason why you kissed that girl?"_

_Sasuke's eyes traveled up and down the other's body-uh… A man of few words indeed. _

_He shrugged, but Naruto wouldn't move, preventing him from getting inside their apartment and wisely, Sasuke avoided reading the blond's body language._

"_Again with that girl, Naruto? This is getting old."_

"_Old," repeated Naruto, sounding cutely vicious – or just controlled; after years of living together, the terrifying habit of being a closed book had been successfully shifted over to Naruto; now, any shallow attempt to read him would be awarded with greater oblivion. "I've mentioned it, what, twice, thrice? Not that old. Besides, it does interest me."_

_Sasuke's eyes thought to narrow, but the urge to stare the other down was resisted; after all, Naruto had long ago built an immunity against any glary a glare, leaving Sasuke with so few things to use against him. Sad. But not so much._

"_I've explained it to you already, that girl just kissed me."_

"_Ohhh… Just kissed you, I see. Well, isn't that nice? Just kissed you and you JUST forgot you were a jounin with the ability to break all her bones within seconds without as much as batting an eyelash. Just conveniently, of course. I mean, wow, what are the chances?"_

_Once more, the urge to stare, yet this one came, peculiarly enough, in uprising astonishment. The dreamed interpretation would without doubt deem this jealousy, but should he really dream that much, that hard, that obviously? No, impossible._

_Easily, Sasuke derailed Naruto's prying questions and neared him; never could the man handle the proximity, never past a certain extent, and boldly Sasuke inserted the key into the hole, feeling the other's body against his, their sides pressed together and united with the preceding inviting friction. The door was open and – strangeness of strange, Naruto wasn't budging._

"_Move, Naruto," he ordered. _

_Naruto's hand slowly fell back, permitting entrance which Sasuke accepted without hesitation. He entered the place called home that- always would go so cold without them around. And even now the air was almost hostile and lacking anything remotely reminiscent of home. Their coziness was a woven web of pretenses and lies, impossible to come true when living still in conditions that didn't consider their true feelings. But it was the tome of dreams and memories and Sasuke wedged in his abiding conviction of no place as safe as this. A haven, sanctuary abandoned, rusty it was, but he knew already that a few days in Naruto's warmth would surely touch every surface, flat or not, and Sasuke would witness life return to this place too. _

_Just a few days that much he had to wait._

_Behind him, the door shut._

_Sasuke didn't itch to see the look on Naruto's face, firmly persuaded of indignation rubbed on it. Thus he removed the bag from his shoulders, thus he sought to make himself comfortable until again another mission seized them away, their temporary captor. _

"_We're not done yet, Sasuke."_

_Until Naruto's voice – unlike any other Sasuke had heard before, unlike any tone Sasuke from Naruto's throat had long familiarized himself with – pierced through the air. Hot with anger, trembling from it, it struck the chord and the taste of own medicine charmed a sour look on Sasuke's face._

_He turned to Naruto, expecting a shaking little someone with nothing tangible to threaten him with._

_And came to face the furor of unlikely magnitude in eyes not suitable for something so earthly. Came face to face with a colossus of hate accumulated over the past hours, but comparable to what he'd gathered in his core over years of negligence suffered from the misplaced reverence and misguided trust. _

_Came to eyes set aflame and body going wild the wrath that coursed its veins. _

_It stunned him._

_Sasuke stared. "What is it?"_

_Naruto stalked forward, so much forced rigidity in his steps Sasuke was curious – how long the calm would last, before the storm arrived at last. This here was a prelude. But what of the coloratura, what of the Prima donna, the rest of the cast? However would this particular overture transpire?_

"_I told you. I want to know."_

"_Why I kiss you or why I let the girl kiss me."_

"_So you did let her kiss you." Like a child, Naruto fumed, but Sasuke wasn't inane enough to confuse this anger with one belonging to a simpleton; Naruto was furious and while he failed to produce fruitful comebacks, Sasuke knew he'd gather his wits about soon and attack – attack with the distinct, cutting way only he could._

"_If by let you mean I didn't cut her in half as you'd suggest, then the answer is yes," he replied, calm still. Easy. He could do this calm thing. He was, by nature, a calm man, even if Naruto liked to claim otherwise. Fool._

_Naruto scoffed. "You know, it's not like she just pounced on you, disarmed you and planted one right there, you know? I saw you looking at her as she got closer. I mean, it was just so obvious she was going to kiss you, so why didn't you stop her?"_

"_Seeing as it bothers you so much, Naruto, why didn't you?"_

"_Whoever you kiss is none of my business," retorted the blond, quickly realizing how that statement contradicted any previous, and Sasuke watched the delicious taint of shame paint a vivid picture on those cheeks._

_Ah, those cheeks, those cheeks… Sasuke gave him a wan, almost non-existent smile. "I see. In such a case, let's consider this conversation concluded and never speak of it again."_

"_Huh…"_

_Naruto's reply was an incoherent sound. Sasuke entered the living room – made a few steps forwards and was there, for the hallway was just a few miserable feet long, but he was content with such occasionally cramped place. Finally, he placed the bag he'd been holding the entire time on the couch and rolled his shoulders back. Shower. Relax. Meditation. Training-_

"_Why didn't you stop her?"_

_Ah, again… Sasuke wanted to scoff right back at him. "I thought it was none of your business."_

"_No."_

"_Hm."_

"… _Yes."_

_Sasuke's eyes narrowed, speculating the validity of that reply. Suspicion mixed with amusement flickered in them as he turned to face Naruto again, seeing a part of that blasphemous anger gone, the mask cracked up and the remaining bits crafted into a beautiful china vase screaming – break me, break me now._

Oh, how I wish…

_Strange ideas, ignore._

"_Yes or no then, Naruto, which is it?"_

_Naruto stepped closer. "I just want to know."_

"_Why does it matter to you? It was nothing. That girl decided to make me her idol. If that's what worries you, then allow me to laugh, but it should soothe your worries to know even you have your own fans."_

"_That's not it. Ugh, I could care less about those. I just. Just."_

"_Just," echoed Sasuke sweetly, deliciously and mockingly, seeing the blush on Naruto's cheeks strengthen, seeing the emotions fill up the eyes to the brims and leave the lord Uchiha impressed. "Just what?"_

"_I don't." He fretted. "Look." Fretted again. "UGH. Why did you let that-that." Made a grimace. "That stupid wench kiss you? Why would you, Sasuke?"_

_Wench. So unappealing to hear Naruto speak of someone that crudely… Unappealing and also-oh, no, best not think of such things, even if Naruto was making it awfully difficult today to stop the mind from going to such places. At either regard, with fabricated dispassion, Sasuke turned on his heel. _

"_At least someone is interested in kissing me, hm? A fickle reason, Naruto, as fickle as was hers. I didn't stop her for I held no interest in crushing her hopes. She was meaningless, easily forgotten and even your incessant questions can't fully conjure up her face." Possibly, she was ugly. Or something. Not that Sasuke remembered. Not that he wanted to remember. Not that he could ever remember her… Heh. _

_He moved away from the couch, seeking repudiation from this situation and he expected Naruto to stop him, reach out and be a man confusing but when he reached the door leading to the kitchen and still no sudden yelp of "but" or similar assortment breached the silence, he allowed one frown to mar his features._

_Disappointing. Or typical. Maybe. No matter. Food would be good. Have to buy groceries. Naruto was reliable in this regard, however, so maybe-_

"_That's not true."_

_Sasuke stopped and concealed his smirk. "So she does matter then, you think? She's a human, right, has emotions and cherished people to love and be loved by. You're saying I shouldn't forget her, just as the memory of me never will relinquish control over one memory fragment in her mind. Correct, Naruto?"_

_He turned around._

"_No."_

_Naruto's eyes were ethereal._

_When adorned by the blond strands of hair, when genuine for once with own feelings, when uplifted – and delicately mournful, when the tumultuous sensations danced languidly, yet freely behind the blues, they were out of this world._

_But the answer? He said no? Sasuke couldn't believe that he might have mistaken. He was always right. _

"_She… She is not memorable."_

"_Hn." That was it? Back to the girl? Sasuke had almost thought-never mind. Always disappointed, always let down. "It's funny to hear you speak of any girl that way, Naruto."_

"_What way."_

_He knew. He only refused to see. Break it to him or not? Well, seeing as he'd annoyed Sasuke, however else to repay him the favor? Fine. "Just a few days ago, you told me you wanted to be a father. Even before, shortly before becoming jounin, you said the same. Don't you realize you need a girl to father a child, Naruto? Or are you really that daft? How will you get one to willingly bear your child if you can't muster up enough respect for her to memorize her?"_

_Naruto's lips formed a straight line. "Che, just talk shit about me, why don't you? Thanks, I definitely wanted to get called daft, it's like a dream come true, Sasuke. Jeez. For once, I express worry over something and you just shoot me down."_

"_It's not my fault you couldn't make sense to save your life. Learn to converse, I'm sure there's literature found on that topic, too."He scoffed. "And what was the worry, anyway? Enlighten me, as I obviously suffer from lack of understanding."_

"_What was it, huh."_

"_What, Naruto? What exactly were you worrying about, tell me." _

_Naruto took a deep breath. He looked wonderfully anguished and hurt, still to that extent delectable and savory and Sasuke felt a beckoning pang of guilt in his heart; as long as it was this shallow, he'd bear with the hurt he caused, for he knew Naruto would brush it off, get back at him, be the rascal he was, be anything but who Sasuke wanted him to be._

"_It's not true. That's all."_

"_What isn't true?"_

"_It's-it's not true. I mean… It's. Wha-… So you'd let anyone kiss you?"_

_Sasuke blinked, not comprehending a thing again. "Don't be an idiot, Naruto."_

"_What if someone just ran at you, kissed you? What would you do? Act the same you did when that girl came at you? Just stand there, let it happen?"_

_Sasuke's left brow twitched. "What would you really have me do? Honestly, Naruto. Do tell me what your terrific plan is. I hope it includes fighting the rapid flock of girls off with scimitars and similarly lethal objects."_

_Naruto let out a groan, ready to fling something at him-but held back, but stepped close. "I-no. I. Sasuke… Just."_

_Sasuke scoffed, no longer hiding what he thought. "Naruto. Please, do me a favor. Either you make yourself clear, tell me what you want or you cease with all this immediately. I never feel like dealing with idiocy and you better re-acquaint yourself with that fact."_

_Naruto, in his dirty clothing, with his views, ideals and such, shrank back and gave up._

_In a silent, voiceless fine, he gave up._

_Like expected. But._

_Next thing Sasuke knew._

_Naruto was smirking. A smirk to dance on his lips and make them luscious and next thing-Naruto let out a rumbling, echoing "okay, Sasuke", before avoiding the pitfall, walking forward, stopping an almost non-existent distance between, gathering his courage and-giving a pleading smile that countered any smugness Sasuke might have sensed. A smile accompanied by his brows wrinkling and lips parting and then-Naruto was swallowing, nervous, fidgety and Sasuke couldn't be sure how to interpret it, couldn't be-_

_-Naruto claimed his lips in a kiss before he could blink, could breathe, could think, could exist, before he could do anything. _

_Not so gently, not so caringly, just viscerally, needy. Making the time freeze and world crash into the sun all over again, making Sasuke's heart shriek out and the blood in his veins trickle out because he was dreaming and Naruto was only doing the thing he'd thought him incapable of, thought of-_

_-he was pulled close, he was kissed and he kissed back, losing all touch with reality and anything corporeal. He felt the wild warmth of Naruto's body under his hands, felt the softness of Naruto's lips upon his, felt them move and exist in a synchrony, in that perfect, mutual, both-sided and eventful parade of his mind. He felt them – leave the doorway, stand in the middle of the room, felt himself lose completely to a chance he felt could change everything. He felt himself – lay Naruto against the wall, felt a hand in his dark hair and felt his world truly lose everything but this._

_A part of him met its end. Finally, it would live through that encounter spelling ecstasy, the very ecstasy that turned his brain into a mush and the muscles lax, the nerves on fire and every thought to only whisper wantonly three cursed words. _

_Their hands met._

_In both, he held Naruto's either. Their fingers intertwined, the palms touched. Heat as ravenous as Naruto's hold on him spread throughout his entire body. How could have Naruto ever denied them this? How could he-ever have dreamed of not being together, of rejecting any touch, anything like this, when together they melted, when together the reality became some crazy idea of a madman scientist too detached from the around to understand own words?_

_How could Naruto have ever…_

_Ever shot him down._

_When he._

_Loved him this much._

_This much. _

_So strongly and deeply._

_He wanted to stay forever this way, forever feeling Naruto's heartbeat, forever to know it was stronger than his own because he'd let it be that way, as it ought to, for Sasuke would always prefer to hear the song Naruto's heart had to sing than own. For his own- what was that, some foreboding rhythm dancing to the beat of his fears? Impure, unsuitable. But Naruto was-_

_-his beloved, his only, his everything-_

_-and he was hugging the blond, one hand snaking around the waist, the other around the neck to hold him firmly. In his inside – and outside, everywhere –, an unquenchable thirst rose. _

_Don't leave me, Naruto. Don't ever leave me. Stay with me like this, stay, please-_

_-Naruto broke it off, a gasp the first sound from him heard and hazy eyes sought Sasuke's, contemporary passion for the world caught in their electrifying blue. _

_Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, or. Sasuke wasn't sure, wasn't-_

_Naruto closed his eyes._

"_Why did I just do that…"_

"_You know why, Naruto."_

"_No…"_

"_You do. You know it as well as I do." Don't fight it, you can't._

"_No."_

_Yet you do… You do fight it. Their noses brushed. Sasuke's fingers dug into the succulent flesh of Naruto's back. "Naruto."_

"_I can't, Sasuke. I can't. I didn't-fine. Okay, I. Damn it. I need to go." _

_He'd pretend it had not happened? Sasuke couldn't let him go. "Please…"_

_Please. What. Intoxicated on the sensations rippling through him, he failed to piece together his thoughts and actions, until Naruto wriggled out of his reach and was away. _

_And was frowning deeply and scoffing and trying to shrug the memory off and Sasuke composed himself._

_It didn't matter what Naruto wanted._

_For he couldn't fight the seal, couldn't fight that one thing it assuredly stole from them – choice of reason. No reason could be applied to the other and stripped of any securities they were, exposed for the other to see. Once Naruto realized that… Once._

_Sasuke's finger traced his lips – tenderly, then the touch was gone. He would not afford this sentiment and weakness, the act of someone clinging onto memories for they were the only thing he had left. No, Naruto would come around… Would…_

_Even if, as Sasuke counted, this was the second year already the blond was evading the seal._

_Something inside Sasuke stirred and he turned his head around, watching Naruto's back as the blond had frozen in the hallway, watching the frame for any hints, any conundrums in a need of solving and any sound confirmations that would only humor him. Observing, inspecting every moment with anticipation that laughed at him for his whimsical worries and badly disguised fears, pointing fingers and speaking of damnation he couldn't avoid. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not in this or the next life._

_Until a finger on Naruto's left hand._

_Gave a pained, terse twitch, another finger following the example – the whole hand subsequently balling into a fist for the veins to show through the skin, for the muscles taut to ultimately disappear, giving off the impression only skin and bone he was._

_And then._

_A small snake of chakra, tenuously coiling around the bone._

_Slithered under Naruto's skin._

_Sasuke's world received the news that were two years late, sealed shut in a golden envelope with a red, wax seal that he ripped open to see the contents compromised of just words._

"I can't, Sasuke."

_Realization. _

_The dawn of the reality finally reaching even him._

_No, Naruto, you can't._

_You can't fight it._

_You can't fight your soul, yourself…_

_You miserable fool… __**No.**_

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, but the story idea is mine alone.

**A/N:** Thank-you goes to everyone that reviewed. I got fantastic reviews… And some went even as far as to review each chapter x))) I am SO NOT complaining ;DD I mean, it made me feel so giddy and smile like a fool-/cough.

I mean, I am grateful to everyone that spares a few moments to review. I LOVE reviews! So, guys, really… Do remember to review? I mean, ff claims I have quite the nice number of readers, but I only ever get up to 7 reviews per chapter, which is… Well. Slightly dissatisfactory, misleading… I don't know D: I don't dare assume Sole is the best shit out there, but come oooon. A few moments, pleeeease? x) REVIEW AND READ OH YEAH 8D And I will bear your children D: Or. Something. D; Haha. Anyway!

This chapter was MUCH fun to write! I hope you realize that last two flashbacks are in reverse order… I wrote them this way on a purpose, but in reality, first came the kiss, then the… Tunnel. Oh, the tunnel. I hope you do remember the tunnel… Finally, you know what "mysterious jutsu" Sasuke used to make it.

Also, I realize the previous chapter end was slightly confusing, but nooo… I never did intend to kill Naruto off! And Naruto couldn't ever take his life. He just jumped off the tower to, well… Jump, lol. Any of you play Assassin's creed? I believe I did include an allusion to it by mentioning a "leap of faith", which in the actual game doesn't kill you, unless you're a klutz like me and press the wrong button and-YEAH. My assassin did die quite a lot. Fun. But I intended to simply show Naruto's desire to be free, since I personally love said leap of faith. Much fun, darn it.

And I finally answered some questions in this chapter… Sort of. I did it very, very vaguely, but those that do pay attention will notice and realize. And I am sure my readers are smart ;) I do believe you guys know some truth already and I totally approve. Already, many people have guessed in their reviews, which makes me giddy. And we have two chapters left. Sole will have 17 chapters, epilogue excluded. Review, rate, stay tuned and remember – all your questions and the mystery of Sole, the true purpose of this story will be revealed COMPLETELY soon.

Cheers!

PS: In many reviews received for the last chapter, soooo many people said they missed Sasuke… Aww! I do too, actually… But he plays a major part in both this chapter and the following, even if he's but a memory in this one. But don't worry, because-

_In next chapter, Kakashi's resolve will not waver, the Hokage title might go to someone else, Kabuto is not a mere puppet, Sasuke reappears and __**Sasuke reappears for good.**_

**Rating:** PG-13 for themes, blood, swearwords, and **sexual undertones.**

Thanks for reading. Remember to R&R! x)

If you have any questions, add them in a review or message me personally :)


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter_Sixteen

**I am**

Lies.

All were just lies. And several days later, they didn't know what to think. For something to become Alleged, certain set of actions was required. For something to turn out as Elusive, more actions in a specific order committed were necessary, yet who'd ever dream of those consciously? For a conclusion to be reached, certainty and utmost belief in a matter had to be professed, lest any doubt would deter them from their goal. The world worked in such simple wonders and ways that seldom did people ever question these conventions outward, yet at a certain point the mysterious workings of the nature brought all to a point where the Doubt became a crucial ingredient to one's immediate survival.

Doubt, for example, over that Alleged betrayal of the Elusive man. Doubt, for days later, reports came in and people were biting on their tongues to voice out their beliefs out loud, to become one with their Doubt and plunge into the dismayed, muddy path of truth. Thorns adorned it, spidery cobwebs building arcs elegant and dragged to the ground by a wind invisible and impertinent in this languorous search for questions.

They were loyal to the idea of his welfare and on the behalf of their unspoken fears, didn't dare voice out loud what they believed.

That knowing the country had been purged of criminals and dozens of families made involuntary survivors thanks to one man's charred path – made them Doubt.

Kakashi's eyes traced another report laid on Naruto's table, detailing yet another case of their mistaken presumptuous behavior and of a family only one day away, claiming joy for being ridden of their vile man; broad daylight marked his disappearance, and gambol they could through their lives now, the burden removed from their shoulders at last. They were far too many cases to count now, far too many to leave the hearts of their ninja untouched and the minds without the scar of bewilderment and amaze.

Any Konoha nin to come back now – thought it blasphemous and horrendous to know a missionary of peace and sanctity would be taken to his death, tried for crimes he'd not committed. Surely! Surely, they must have felt, it was a bureaucratic mistake, his name in the documents misspelled, the photograph of the deranged man far too aged to properly depict him with the aura of a saint.

Not one Konoha nin believed now.

In Uchiha Sasuke's full and unquestionable guilt.

In every heart, a seed of doubt flourished, concealed well to sprout leaves and bud in the dampness of one's discarded humanity and Kakashi didn't want to admit to himself – that his throbbed stronger than any other. But then, what of Naruto?

The door opened and the familiar aura of calculated peace embraced his senses in a dulling effect.

Naruto was back.

Languidly, the man greeted Kakashi and took a seat at his desk, the report taken without wait and skimmed through within moments. Naruto's face was a blank sheet of paper the whole time, bearing less emotion than the mangled words of confused, poorly rationalized and practiced rigidity in the report. Already, Kakashi knew what was going to come.

A rigorous, emotionless-"I see. Again. Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

Which was his cue to leave and his time to show mutiny.

"Can I speak to you for a moment, Naruto?"

He blinked and gave a tentative nod. "Sure. About?"

Kakashi stepped closer. "You stopped the search parties from scouting Konoha, even though you said Sasuke's hideout was close to Konoha. Why is that? Why are you waiting?"

"The moment we've found Sasuke, we'll need to engage him."

"Or he will engage us first," finished Kakashi, a sigh threatening to spill from his lips. "Still, it doesn't explain why you'd wait. If Sasuke really is that close to Konoha as you claim, then we need to find him. There is no reason to wait. Our men are prepared to fight him. Konoha is strong."

He mulled it over.

"Why are you waiting, Naruto?"

Naruto leaned back against his chair, peering up at Kakashi through semi-closed, defiantly obedient eyes with so much gentleness in them that at once Kakashi knew the answer.

It formed on his lips before he could stop himself. "You're afraid of fighting Sasuke, aren't you, Naruto?"

Ever-so-slightly, touched by feather, a frown wrinkled Naruto's lips. "When I fight him, Kakashi-sensei, I know either of us will die."

"You will be protected."

"I can't be protected."

Kakashi put out the dread arising. "The whole of Konoha will stand by your side, Naruto."

"There is no-one in the world is powerful as Sasuke as I am." The frown touched his brows and eyes. "I know that, you know that, everyone knows that. I know we have powerful people in Konoha, but I also know that in the past years, Sasuke's power had only grown. Since the fight with Madara, he's gotten so impossibly powerful."

"And so have you, huh?"

"Only I can defeat him."

"Defeat suggests victory, not imminent death, yet already you're taking into account your own demise."

Naruto's eyes closed in brief surrender. "I think it just logical to consider that option, too. Before, each and every time we fought, he came out victorious and I – dead. The last time we seriously fought each other, I came close to killing him. We nearly killed each other, Kakashi-sensei."

Hearing Naruto speak of the time when he'd fought Sasuke as everyone else had slept brought a sense of fear into Kakashi's heart. Naruto was opening a can of worms that were slowly slithering out and striving in the cold air. Fall was coming and along with it – Naruto's fall, too.

"I won't permit that, Naruto."

Blue eyes rested on him.

Kakashi clenched his jawline. "I won't let you die."

"You're so determined, Kakashi-sensei."

"I won't."

Naruto leaned forward. "This isn't you letting your team die, you know?"

"No." Kakashi's lips parted – no sound leaving past them. "My team died a long time ago."

Curiously, Naruto's eyes widened, uncomprehending.

Kakashi knew he'd spoken the truth; the fates of the tree he'd meant to guard with own life had ran past his semi-clenched fist; it was out of his own doing, own erroneous actions that he'd let them feel the detachment of losing one another, it was his mistake alone and the path poisoned with wrong he'd chosen that there was Naruto, there was Sasuke and there was Sakura. A long time ago, there were Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura, Team 7. Now he didn't even have the shattered remains of their potential in his hands.

He had let those three become swallowed up by the world.

He, as a teacher.

Had Failed.

He hid the pain, he hid it well, he closed his eyes. "I won't let you die, Naruto, even if I have to lay my life down for you. You will survive to see the tomorrow, you will lead a long, wonderful life. You will die of old age, one of the greatest Hokage this country has ever known. If not the greatest. Despite what you think, you are the greatest person to have ever led this country."

For reasons mystifying, Naruto's body tensed and his eyes widened.

He was doubting Kakashi's words, Kakashi sensed, maybe for good reason; after all, the council had not forgiven Naruto's cheek and while subdued for the time being, no doubt the moment Sasuke was found, again they'd interfere to try to lead the country using an iron fist and prejudice.

But there was doubt in Kakashi, too, directed and clashing with Naruto's; was this his student doubting the teacher, for the student knew well how the teacher had failed, how their camaraderie was littered with the wounds of the teacher's wrongdoings? Or was there another reason for that much dimmed light in Naruto's eyes as the words sank in?

Kakashi wasn't sure. Should he feel the touch of self-deprecation, should he be a man strictly rational? Eventually, he settled on a very simple-"I'm not backing down, Naruto. While I understand where you are coming from, I won't let it happen. You will not die."

Naruto's eyes swam with meek protest. "But should that happen? No, _don't_. It can happen, you know that very well. During the battle, I might just fall. What then? Konoha must be protected."

"You are already thinking of a new Hokage, of your replacement?"

"I've thought of it, yes."

Blazing with fury, Kakashi took another step towards him, only the table separating them now. "_Naruto._"

"I HAVE thought of it, yes. I must. I must…"

"Why must you?" There was a reason for that urgent must and Kakashi was starting to believe Naruto's fall, while speculated, had been decided in the man's mind days prior to this moment.

"Because. Because everyone is mortal, Kakashi-sensei. And I can't think of any other result of the fight."

"But the death of either?"

"Or both."

"Both," he echoed. "You are thinking, in reality, aren't you? That you both will die. Naruto-"

"_You'll protect me."_

Naruto was looking right through him. "You said you would protect me. Will you really and always?"

Kakashi felt transparent. Small. Insignificant. Exposed. "Yes, Naruto, I mean it."

"Fine," he breathed. "I'll believe you. Protect me then, Kakashi-sensei. Until the end of days, eh?"

Sad.

He was speaking through sadness, the words leering at Kakashi and citing riddles and the unspoken.

"If…. If, Naruto, something were to happen to you… Tell me, who would you appoint the next Hokage?" He'd test him, see how fast the answer would be spat out at him, gauge him for his reactions and the way he gravitated towards the inevitable; such a grievous task required a lot more thought than a few minutes worth of self-proclaimed death sentence, and should Naruto's words be as unwavering as his persuasion in own death, then Kakashi would know that reading underneath the underneath would bring him only pain.

So he waited, fixated obsessively on Naruto's face, reading with meticulous precision every tick and muscle movement; the boy had gained some weight, retained his radiance, embraced the sun and again he was tanned and strong, with shoulders broad and back wide enough to carry them all. Was there, however, truly a place for everyone? Naruto's world as perceived through the blues was spaciously narrowed down to just a number and somehow – somehow, Kakashi was inclined to believe the recurring motif of betrayal and darkness in eyes charcoal and pitch black was still the center of his being.

Then, Naruto opened his lips; the fleshy body part quivered tenderly under the touch of the air that breezed past it, then again as it was released in a shaky and indecisive breath; he was passing judgment on something, concluding the matter and deeming it aged and ancient, no longer suitable for discussion. He was – for certain – sealing the fate of one person, misguided. The courtesy of the nightmare of his life. Yes… Judgment… Who would he make suffer, who would he force himself on? Would it be Sasuke, would it be-

"I've thought of it… Ever since proclaiming Sasuke a missing nin, I couldn't stop thinking about it, because I knew back then it would all boil down to a fight between he and I. Foolishly, I am postponing that moment, because… I guess…" The lips formed an upside down, pleading smile. "_I don't want to die yet._"

Lightning struck Kakashi.

"I don't want to, Kakashi-sensei, but I know-I know that the fight… Can only have one end. There are not alternate endings, no director's cut, no audience approved, glorified the end. I know it will reach that moment – and I know what I will have to do. So I thought and I thought a lot, until finally realizing – I don't need to waste hours and days searching. There is someone far stronger than me in many, many ways, warm and compassionate and impartial. In the past years, she has grown so much and I see it only now. Only now I believe that if someone were to replace me, it's only she, because her journey was as long as anyone's, because her mind is uplifted and the heart just pure."

The lips at last were hit by a surge of love that tugged at their corners, bringing them up into just a smile.

Kakashi knew the answer and at the moment – felt a brutal and fierce wave of loyalty for this man.

Who was smiling.

"Sakura will make a wonderful Hokage one day. It was never her dream, but at the same time – it was. A brat she was, man, but she learned from her mistakes and she matured up into a strong and beautiful person. She wants to help people and wants to protect them as much as she was protected. I know she will be wonderful, because her devotion to the people is as strong as her belief in the goodness of a heart."

Sakura.

No political affiliation. She came from a family disconnected from the world of ninja, a child to parents normal. She understood the affairs of average people, understood, also, the devotion of a ninja. She was freed from both worlds and connected to both at the same time. She was a ghost to appear at dusk and twilight, to disappear with the arrival of night and day. She knew the touch of both worlds and lived simultaneously in both. She was, in reality, the most sensible of choices. Already, she'd overcome even Kakashi, and as strange as it was to admit that to himself, Kakashi knew that at times, that young woman was stronger than he at any point of his life.

Stronger.

Strong. Respected. Loved. Known for her lilting voice, for her measured, controlled beauty, for her skill and precision, for her fever for the right and wrath for the wrong.

She really was, that woman, the best of choices there was.

But not prepared. She'd fail at first, she'd fail hard enough to suffer from the loss of respect, so when did Naruto have in store for her to prepare her for such a change, how would he test her resolve and solidify it for this purpose? Sakura was not made for leadership, but there were events to change the course of mind, alter it enough it would accommodate to anything and never again buckle underneath the weight of the world. She was perfect but at the same time – no-one and nothing in comparison to Naruto, whose compassion was far greater than the suffering of the entire world combined.

She would fail.

Unless he put her through misery that would shape her into the future Hokage.

Would Naruto make a choice that abrupt without a back-up plan? Kakashi tasted bitter medicine on his tongue.

"You will have her witness that fight between you and Sasuke, won't you, Naruto? So she'd experience firsthand your doom, watch it, helpless, from the frontlines. You are planning to take her there. How cruel can you be, Naruto, to do that to Sakura?"

Naruto stared at him and then tapped his fingers against the report.

"Ninety. How could we let that escape our attention? Over ninety criminals punished, over ninety unlawful souls robbed off their right to live as they had robbed others. How cruel could I be to overlook that? How cruel could we be not see it? Strange, because that's not cruel at all. In this world, not seeing the pain is as cruel as forcing six-year olds to fight each other, to taste the curved edge of a blade. It's normal for us and I think we should re-evaluate our priorities, but can we? It's our way of life, Kakashi-sensei. I will show Sakura-chan as much cruelty as she experienced when first taught to kill in cold blood."

In fake tenderness, Naruto's hand caressed the report – then left the reminders of their failure. "I don't want to, Kakashi-sensei, I don't want to…" His eyes closed. "I don't want her to see anything."

Like a child, he wanted to survive. Kakashi felt that someone had poured a bucket of ice-cold water on him, but more buckets arrived, each carrying water of different and extreme temperature, causing his body to weakly submit to the onslaught of gripping sensations and let go of the struggle. There was no fighting a vicious, never-ending circle, and he was loathe to admit own futile role in the drama play.

Pretty much like the rest of them, even Kakashi was a passive character.

Helpless, hopelessly romantic, dreaming of a brighter future…

How stupid.

_When did I become this weak?_

"I see. That is understandable, Naruto. In such a case, I will make sure that doesn't happen." He turned away, avoiding looking at Naruto's face, and made his way to the door. "There might still be a chance for Team 7. On the battlefield in weeks or days, perhaps, Team 7 will meet again after years and Team 7 will leave the battlefield, intact and alive. I will protect that memory and I will protect you three. No-one will die on that day, Naruto."

He opened the door.

"That I swear to you."

_That I swear to myself._

And left.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Kabuto considered Sasuke a very sophisticated man. He was also keen on viewing Sasuke as a threat to his existence. For good reason. After all, using that forbidden jutsu, the man had brought him back to the world of living and used him for information. Disfigured, deformed a creature, Kabuto had escaped the irrefutable death only so-so, and every day since then had formed a bond with the stench of death that surrounded him. He bore no ill-will for the man, for he saw much purity in the man's intentions and much sick fascination to keep him busy. There was no denying, Kabuto knew, his love for the gritty and gruesome and Sasuke was the embodiment of everything Kabuto loved.

In his perverse fantasies, he pictured himself always diligently standing by Sasuke's right, following him everywhere, the puppet that loved its strings and embraced its role, but Sasuke would have none of that.

Sasuke didn't ever let anyone stand by his side. Kabuto knew that spot was reserved for the Kyuubi brat and – instinctively, Kabuto flinched; Sasuke hated the topic of Him, hated it as much as he loved Him.

Hissing loudly, Kabuto's snake-like form circled around one NUMBER. He ached to sink his teeth into the man's flesh and feast upon his innards, but Sasuke refused to let that happen. No wonder there. Even before, Sasuke had lacked hatred. Sasuke would always lack hatred. He wouldn't permit aimless torture and would let them stand in rows, lined one next to another, the petty criminals undeserving of the respect he showed even now. The brat had changed the Uchiha too much. Kabuto recalled how his master, Orochimaru, had once commented on the influence of the blond-haired sun on Sasuke and he finally had to admit – he saw it.

With Naruto always on his mind, Sasuke was a soul lost and wandering around.

Absently, Kabuto looked at him.

Seated on a make-shift, cold and stone throne, he resembled the NUMBERS he'd created, lifeless, purposeless, and soulless.

Dead.

Uchiha Sasuke was dead. And in his death, he was more alive than anyone else.

Kabuto felt excitement.

He was just a puppet and he was doomed to die. Once he stopped being useful, Sasuke would release the jutsu and like the puppet without string, Kabuto would crumble on the ground and become ash. He would die.

And he couldn't wait.

After all, before his death, he'd get to see the most beautiful of spectacles, get to witness this decline of human race, poetry in pain.

Sasuke was a sophisticated man.

Sophisticated even in his pain.

Kabuto abandoned his perverse desires, slithering away from the NUMBER and gliding towards Sasuke.

He was looking at a random point ahead – or seemingly, but Kabuto knew Sasuke was seeing Him again, the hallucination of the man. Even then, Sasuke would cling onto the memory of his Sun, even then Sasuke would remain strong in his beliefs, the resolve, probably, the only thing he had left. It was both admirable and hilarious and Kabuto hoped the death of both would be as delicious as the taste of Sasuke's pain filtering in the air. Maybe, the brat would fall first, maybe he'd fall victim to his wounds and be torn into pieces by own curse, but then Sasuke would surely follow.

For without Naruto, there was no Sasuke.

Without Sasuke, there was no Naruto.

A pity, however, that only the cursed Uchiha knew that, a pity, indeed, the blond-haired twat had yet to acknowledge it, but with his obstinate oblivion arrived a sense of peace and grueling satisfaction; for the death of his true and only master, Kabuto would take his revenge by witnessing the death of those to bring him down, for willingly or not, Naruto, too, had contributed to the loss of Orochimaru's life. Even then, at the moment, Naruto had lent a hand, the invisible force guiding Sasuke's blows along.

Oh, no matter, for Kabuto got to see their death. Already, he couldn't wait, already – he shook with excitement. Or was that arousal? A pity he lacked the parts to express that, for now he could rely presumptuously only on this body that failed him so, but Kabuto felt privileged at the same time, because – hadn't Sasuke used a part of Orochimaru, too, when bringing him back to life?

Hissing with laughter, Kabuto snaked around the throne, resting his heavy and many feet long body on the cold floor by Sasuke's feet, muscular arms propping the engorged head up. The forked tongue darted out to taste the air – and he shuddered, feeling blood.

Sasuke hadn't moved in many long hours, but soon he would. His walk was scheduled at the same time of every day. Proud and strong, he'd stand to his feet, the hallucination dispersing, and walk out to greet the world outside, feel the sun on his face and feel mocked by its warmth. He was so easy to figure out, ease to read. Even those instances of change Kabuto loved and he was, in a way, falling in love with what he saw.

Almost, Sasuke and Naruto in this story were enough to deserve his full attention and devotion and in his mind, he doted on the two to die together, hoping their last embrace would be as bittersweet as he pictured it. Maybe to drown in the blood they would together spill, maybe to forever be remembered for that.

For their twisted bond was in reality not so twisted, just so deep that Kabuto, whether he liked it or not, couldn't help but feel drawn. Their light so warm chilled him with the possibilities unspoken and with heavily lidded eyes he watched the NUMBERS, the one hundred of criminals Sasuke had with patience and through gritted teeth gathered.

Beautiful.

Long moments later, Sasuke stood up and Kabuto followed after him. Later again, they arrived to a slope steep that Sasuke dragged his body across and Kabuto recoiled, feeling the warmth of the day touch him.

And a minute later.

They reached the entrance.

Sharp, cold wind promising fall slashed at their faces.

In the dying sun, Sasuke was as exquisite as life in general, a figure solemn, captivating and dying, on the brink of insanity, but as sane as his feelings would permit him.

And in the distance.

Konoha loomed.

Sasuke's hand rose to touch the Hokage monument, to trace Naruto's face carved in stone, to feel thin air underneath.

Kabuto stood up, the body of a snake hefting him up to Sasuke's eyelevel.

Days ago, it had rained.

In the rain he'd stood, maybe crying, maybe rain droplets on his face.

How much time left, Kabuto pondered, and Sasuke's hand clenched.

"Soon. In a week or two, the end will come."

Kabuto listened and slithered back, mind coiling securely around own axis of fascination.

_In less than two weeks, Sasuke, you will watch your beloved die. And die by his hand._

_Unless, of course, as I gathered._

_That fool realizes the truth._

Hit by nostalgia, Kabuto's eyes rested on the darkening skies above.

_The truth that there never was any betrayal to begin with._

_Just one man's resolution to save his most cherished person._

_To save you, Uzumaki Naruto, from your impending doom._

In the depths of Kabuto's mind, pity for the fool resurfaced.

_The doom to change the world._

Sasuke was a sophisticated man. But in his last moments, he would be just a man in love.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

On the monument, his own face carved.

Gently, Naruto lifted a hand to trace the outlines of his face forever remembered by the people.

He was this close to reaching the goal, this close to dying.

And before, he'd not marveled at self. Before, he'd not felt the need to touch own face, trace the cheekbones and chiseled features, the distinguished sign of maturity in his eyes or the nose delicate and the lips swollen whenever he'd abuse them with the grazing touch of his teeth. Before, he'd not felt the urge to touch own hair, to run his fingers through the golden locks, to realize fully how golden they indeed were, how they'd shine in the sun and how – of the sun he looked. Like the Sun in human form descended on Earth.

Before, he'd not seen own fingers, not the calloused hands, the toned body and the comfort of wearing clothes. The way he chewed, swallowed each bite. The way some food would melt on his tongue, how human touch felt. How he'd miss touching people, the warmth of their skin upon his, the force of their eyes – on him.

How at moments, he could become one with them, united by a bond far stronger than anything spiritual.

How he'd called it – dying sun before. How today and tonight, it was just the sun and he wanted it back, wanted the day to rewind itself so better he could hold the pen between his fingers, better he could relish in the green tea he'd drunk in haste, better fasten his robes he'd put on without thought, better look himself in the eye and watch, mesmerized, the reflection in the mirror.

Better breathe, better be enticed by the wonder of life that permitted his heart to beat, the lungs to swell, the body to work.

Better dub this sun, as it did not die, as it could not die; he would not permit it to die, but then the futility of that wish was comparable to Kakashi's.

He couldn't look away, though he knew he ought to. Somewhere in the distance, Sasuke resided and Naruto thought – in a week or two, it would be over. Again they'd fight, this time ultimately to death, exchanging their last touches ever.

If he could, if it were possible he would turn back the time and remember ever time Sasuke's hand had rested on his, every time they'd touched, every night they'd lain together in the bed, incapable of sleeping, on their sides and looking each other in the eye.

That Naruto could remember, and he found himself torn; one part of him wished to discard that moment too, have it fall victim to forgetting so with a clear mind he could enter the battlefield and face his fears; another yearned to recall every moment of the past, every – everything. Every detail, moment, second of his life.

Yet he'd suffer instead from having so little, and maybe remembering those would help; when he'd first fallen, first become terrorized by own uncertain heart, first suffered an attack and seen Sasuke's caring touch.

He turned around.

In the distance, Sasuke's eyes had found his. He was sure, sure to his last dying breath. Sasuke was looking at him.

Now, Naruto remembered one thing.

How together, they would watch the night settle on Konoha, how together they'd wonder if the shroud of darkness was as deceitful as it made the peace on Konoha seem. If, really, they could outlast this eternal peace.

If ever they could live to love, love to live.

He closed his eyes.

Magnifying ripples of chakra left him, leaving behind tender, crescent-shaped cuts thinner than threads of life. It was a spectacle of life as he released willingly the chakra gathered under his skin, as blue light enveloped him and he knew – it was a temporary release, a tacky and unflattering win.

Cuts over seconds – healed, sealed.

With the air around sizzling with despair, Naruto toyed with the idea of free fall, nearing the edge of the building top and standing there, fingers brushing against thin air.

So many wayward ideas entered his mind, one more confused than the other and together, piled on top of each other, they reached the skies swifter than any ideal life.

Naruto knew, at that precise moment… He knew, having found that fact shunned, neglected and stacked in a place of furthermost importance to him, that Sasuke had dug the tunnel using own hands, that Sasuke had scrounged up the worst of scoundrels with furtive eyes from all across the country, picking those flies small enough they'd escape any judicial system unscathed, knowing their liberation lay in their insignificance. That Sasuke had sacrificed a portion of his life for him.

And that the seal had pushed him to it.

No? No…?

Yes.

Why else would anyone like Sasuke do all those things? Naruto doubted him. And the greater his doubt, the closer to the edge he was.

Two weeks, he'd said?

He'd lied.

In less than a week, Naruto knew.

He would die.

_I will find you, Sasuke, I will. Then, I will put an end to you, I swear to you. Wherever you are, I know you are watching me. This is just like your style, isn't it? I will find you. Soon, I will and I will lead an army against you and then – fight till we both die. I am not afraid of death. I am not-_

Pain.

_-I am._

He was not alone. Someone arrived.

Someone-

"Naruto…"

Fondly, he smiled and turned to look at her.

"Hey, Tsunade-sama."

She let out a strangled moan.

And pulled him into a hug.

Startled, Naruto looked at the monument looming behind her shoulder. "What…?"

"I don't know. It-it feels like I'll never get to hold you again, that's all. I've not had a cup of sake in months, if that's what you're wondering. Just for a moment, Naruto, let me hold you like this."

She sighed. Into his hair, ruffling the strands.

Naruto's smile widened and in his resolve already so small, another crack appeared.

He hugged her back.

_I don't want to die… __**I don't want to die.**_

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

He rested on the nearby rock and let out a resounding sigh.

The other shot him an appalled look. "Don't do that, we need to scout the surroundings."

A groan. "I know, but it's only what we've been doing for the past days. I don't understand why Hokage-sama suddenly decided to send out all the teams again," he whined, prodding the ground with his foot. "We won't find a thing. Even the dogs haven't found any trail, so what makes him think we will?"

The nameless jounin sighed. "Yes, I get you, but don't speak of Hokage-sama that way. Besides." Like his companion, he flopped down right next to him. "There are some things only humans can do."

A humorless laugh. "Yeah, like whine and complain. Animals don't do that. Oh, the sun is setting already."

"We'll need to report back with no findings."

"Do you think they'll be mad?"

"Doubtful. After all, no-one is really expecting to find something, but Hokage-sama believes the Uchiha is close to Konoha."

"Right… Oh, look, you can see the monument from here!" He stood up and pointed in the distance. "Oh, you can see Hokage-sama's face, too! Kind of amazing."

"Oh, right, I never noticed. But what of it? It's not like Uchiha Sasuke's hideout will be here. Where should it be, anyway?"

A shrug. "I don't really know, do I? We're meant to search for, well, anything? I doubt we will notice anything, ugh. I genuinely don't believe Uchiha would set up his hideout here. I mean, it is like a few miles from Konoha."

"Yes, the risk of finding it is too high, unless there was a special seal."

"Exactly. But we've used the dogs already and they found no blood. The previous seal was easy to detect… Relatively. But this time…" He sat back down, heavy and tired. "We really are completely lost."

"We really are."

They both let out a heavy sigh.

Just earlier that day, they'd received an order to scout the area closest to Konoha within a five-mile perimeter, but so far with no results and as much as the greenery was beautiful, with fall around the corner and summer wheezing tiredly, the colder afternoons along with no specific goal didn't bode well with them. It was a blind goose chase and lacking any proper instructions left most of the teams feeling mildly irritable and prone to complaining here and there. With most of the day wasted and no results to support Hokage's claims, all were ready to call it a night and trudge begrudgingly home wherein they'd rest and hope to receive better commands come tomorrow. It wasn't nearly as much as doubting their Hokage, rather – they doubted the Uchiha would be foolish enough to build his hideout that close. And Hokage, as much as they loved him, how could he be so convinced of this?

They shared a long, pained look, before glimpsing the setting sun on the horizon and standing to their feet, brisk for once as they knew they'd need to report back soon. Their team leader hadn't shown once, despite his promising tales of coming to check on them and both cursed him out in their minds; the man had surely wandered off somewhere and fallen asleep, the self-proclaimed Nara clan member, but unlike the actual members of Nara clan, he didn't possess even half the skill and sense for responsibility for his lenience to be pardoned. Still, they wouldn't consider telling on him, their pride too strong to admit fault in never looking for him and making sure no injury had befallen him.

In fact, for a brief moment, both felt guilty; he could have gotten injured, unconscious, and it was their duty to stick to comrades, even if, in reality, once the search was over, each would return to own family and own genin team and not meet the other again, unless a mission higher ranked called for it.

Realizing this, they looked at each other, nervous.

"Yeah," one said. "Let's go."

"Alright. Let's not separate, however. In the event of-"

"Yeah."

A sigh slipped past their lips and they turned on their heel to walk in the opposite direction, the distance between them and Konoha growing, and a sense of foreboding, too; somewhere around there, they'd seen their teammate go, and certainly they kept hoping for his nonchalance to have spirited him off to the dreamland, but still the risk remained. Being no chakra sensors meant their options were limited; being just appointed jounin meant their experience, too, but they walked with confidence despite all. In their minds, they swore they could see their Hokage-sama's disapproving, disappointed face as he subjected them to close scrutiny before proclaiming them unsuitable for being nin of Konoha. The idea of that, however farfetched, left a bitter taste on their tongues; no matter what, neither hoped to let the man down, not when they had heard – of the disaster from almost two weeks ago.

In silence interrupted on rare occasion by either commenting on this and that, they searched the surroundings again, yet this time watchful for once. Thus it came to their attention they'd never thought of rejoicing when surrounded by greenery, never paid life any tribute in general and they thought this lack of appreciation was not alright, as taking for granted anything was bad. Strange thoughts they were having, somewhat misplaced given what their current objective was, but the forest was an enigmatic place and knowing the Uchiha could have marred it – and that their leader could have gone without glancing it at once last time – filled them with dread.

Dread to intensify further, for the farther they were from Konoha, the deeper into the forest they stepped, slowly out of signal and still with no signs of their leader, the more persuaded they were – something had happened.

The usual procedure would be to go back, actually, call in for reinforcement in case of trap or such, and while not certain this meant the man had accidentally stumbled on something, it was the required step they were only mildly hesitant to take. Thus, finally hearing the device in their ears emit a deaf tone, they shared a troubled look and ran back to Konoha.

Or, tried to. As the fate would have it, just up to thirty feet later, a rustling of leaves alerted them.

And then, to their greatest surprise, in a very anticlimactic fashion, their leader erupted from the bushes, disheveled, dirty, and looking thoroughly not like someone with responsibilities and duties.

"Oh, sorry, sorry! I got lost and, er. Haha!" the man laughed, rambunctious and such, prompting disbelieved admonished yells.

"I know!" the man added and the other two shook their heads.

"At least tell us you found something, sempai," said one.

Sempai huffed. "No, let's go."

"Whatever, the sun's almost set. Let's go then."

They did.

Nothing was wrong and they scurried away, knowing they were not welcome in this area and knowing this place wasn't fit for them, knowing, also, somehow they were meant to arrive with reports of nothing but an empty area lacking life, lacking anything, lacking-

Abruptly, they came to a halt.

Lacking life?

Looks were exchanged.

More disconcerting than that fact, was the lack of care not one could muster up for that situation, as if they'd been put under a hypnosis where life was a rose garden and however could this place be wrong in any way? But it was difficult to linger on that notion, and as hard as they tried, soon their minds were put to a haze, clouded, and freed of any suspicions. Soon, the worries they'd briefly, for but a split second shared were banished from existence and like sheep heralded they walked blindly in one direction, eyes glazed over, rose garden – truly there.

It didn't occur to them – their leader had been lost for hours to no end, lost for reasons ludicrous for he was known for tracking abilities that would lead him out of any maze-like place. It didn't occur to them that the leader's eyes were as paled as those of the Hyuuga and had not blinked in hours. Worst of all, all three failed to realize that eventually, still within that forbidden area, they came, one after another, to a stop, eyes exactly emptied and left soulless and that like docile dolls, on their feet they swayed before they nodded off and fell unconscious.

And minutes later, they woke up, blinked and, persuaded of the strenuous work they'd done today, simply set off once more.

Completely and utterly blind to the jutsu that had been too powerful for their minds. Exactly as for the minds of the previous teams to have scouted this exact area.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Yamato didn't like hearing there were no news. He didn't like being told they'd found nothing, didn't like to see them arrive empty-handed and didn't particularly enjoy own failure, for that matter. But after almost three days of looking for said hideout of one wayward Uchiha, he was ready to altogether give up and proclaim Naruto a lunatic. Unfortunately, having much faith in any word that left the man's mouth made it difficult to understand what giving up meant and though the results were screaming zero at him, he didn't consider for a moment to stop the chase. Not after what he'd witnessed himself almost a week ago.

With each minute that was wasted in vain, his dread grew; each hour gone signalized less time to work with and the toxic stoicism in him was a step away from completely freaking out and losing composure. He'd report to Naruto frequently every few hours – and every time he'd encounter other team leaders shaking their heads and hiding their disappointment. And every time, Naruto's practiced reaction of "keep searching" lost some of its calm. Towards the dawn of the fourth day, he realized he was fed up and, profoundly indignant, instead of scouting the same area all over again and relying on the various new-born specialists in obscure fields, he interrupted the makeshift briefing at the gates and looked sharply at every present man.

But just as he was about to speak up-

-Kakashi's arm brushed against his shoulder and Yamato's mouth automatically clamped shut. Still, they were looking at him and not knowing what plan Kakashi had on his mind, Yamato took a step away and Kakashi stepped forward; they'd never worked together, but Yamato felt a foolish sense of pride in their teamwork.

"Aa, I know this isn't exactly a taking dibs kind of a thing, but if no-one here would mind, I'd like to scout a very specific area."

"Which one, Kakashi-san?" a jounin asked him. Wasting no time, Kakashi took out the map showing a small circled spot. Yamato noted he'd personally never scouted that place, never even trespassed on that area which was coincidentally just a few miles away from Konoha, but most notable was the disrupted murmur going through the crowd.

"No problem, Kakashi-san, but I can tell you already that my team and I have searched it a few days ago and there was absolutely nothing," said a man bland, tacky, in a voice usually monotonous, but now quivering with worry.

Pleasantly, Kakashi smiled. "Well, in such a case I'm sure nobody here will mind Yamato and I taking a look again."

"Oh, well…" The jounin looked at his teammates, then at the remaining group and slowly, in a sense awfully ominous, they all gave tentative looks, before dividing the rest of the area between and within minutes they were gone, dispersing in all different directions like milk on an even surface.

Blindly at first, Yamato trailed after Kakashi and several minutes passed in utter silence, until out of hearing sight a good distance away, nearing their destination, too, far up in the trees he stopped and Kakashi followed his example; a distance of few feet away they stood, Kakashi the righteously cool figure and Yamato curious.

"Kakashi-sempai, would you explain?"

Kakashi looked at the ground, motioned for him to follow and jumped down, suggesting they were to overcome the remaining distance on foot like a strolling couple of friends. Landing right next to him, Yamato could barely contain his suspicions and with the eyes of someone expecting betrayal, he surveyed the man by his side.

Wasting no more time with pretenses and games, Kakashi's voice – carefully injected with doses of caution, otherwise deceptively nonchalant and typically lazy – drifted into the air. "I apologize for suddenly getting you involved, Yamato, but I'm afraid you and I remain the sole survivors."

Not understanding so far, Yamato blinked, but otherwise kept his attention on the road ahead, fixated on the idea of remaining inconspicuous under any circumstances. "What do you mean?"

"I've noticed," continued Kakashi, unperturbed. "Something quite peculiar. It is true that there is, apparently, nothing whatsoever remarkable in this area, but what does beg for a question is the peculiar state of mind any team inspecting is left with. It was just a little something I may have otherwise left unattended, but ever since the conversation with Naruto, I admit I've been edgy. It's probably thanks to that otherworldly feeling that I managed to pick up on the subtle signs."

"You're saying something in the area affected them," said Yamato, body automatically moving forward.

Kakashi, still, sounded carefree; they might have been discussing the weather, professing their love for the world, but in Yamato's eyes, this world knew no love, not after the torture it had put just two people through.

"They were left languorous, I'd say, which is nothing of my interest, as it is common of fatigue to take effect, but all the teams to return from this area had a particular feeling about them. It is hard to describe, but in a sense, they seemed far too keen on persuading everyone there was nothing here. As I said before, under different circumstances, this detail would have escaped my attention, but now."

A wave of nauseating peace hit Yamato. "I understand," he said. "Now."

"Now we must return."

Both men stopped, their eyes earning the eerily drowsy glow of a reflection, and slowly, they looked at each other.

"Kakashi-sempai."

"I know, I feel it, too."

"We've only entered the perimeter."

"Yes, a heavy fog rests over this place. This isn't the first time I experienced a jutsu like this." Heavily, the man's hands moved, clasped together in a seal, the word "kai" for dispel loftily muttered and at once, a portion of the mist disappeared from his eyes – which, set visibly aflame and burning with recognition, were the engine that drove Yamato to do the same, until Yamato felt his own concisely succinct thoughts return to him and having their precise, symmetrical lines resurface felt more soothing than the trauma of departing the jutsu had liked him to believe in.

Still, the presence remained; Yamato knew that for the time being, they were resistant, but the jutsu was fertile and as they stepped onwards, closer and closer to its epicenter, its influence grew harder and heftier, the air around them hot with dislike for their immunity, attacking in drunkenly warm waves that promised eternal peace.

"How come they wouldn't notice it?"

"For the reason why the villagers didn't," replied Kakashi simply, but his shoulders were tense, body ready to avoid any attack; both were considering their options, thinking that if this trap was avoided, partially or not, what else would await them in a place that looked so scarily normal and like any other? "Shortly before the attack on Konoha was launched, Gai and I encountered a strong genjutsu placed on one of the houses the infiltrators used to hide in. Its effects were similar to this one, but denser. I'm guessing that as it covers a larger area, its hold on the infected place unevenly spreads until it fades out and the deeper we go, the stronger it'll get. I remember that the villagers didn't notice a thing, under the impression the store was running and its owner somewhere inside, but upon closer inspection, as Gai and I entered the affected area, we fell victim to its hold. At that moment, we became invisible to everyone around. I doubt it's the case here. The previous jutsu was trite in comparison to this. This, I'd consider well-constructed, carefully planned out."

Yamato's body tried to willingly succumb to the air which, here and there, would char his thoughts sneeringly with searing oaths sworn to eternity of love and peace; certainly, any a weaker mind would lose itself immediately to this jinx, lulled away by the slurred words of come hither, rest. Afterwards, the faded memories of the encounter would assure the secret was kept, and none too wise more would flock to the place, influenced greedily enough to claim without stepping into it ever again it was off limits and as ordinary as not.

Neither of them had to think too hard on who in this world could master a jutsu as scarily intimate, as eerie as comparable it was to veins gliding along the brain, curving around a song of solace – and any doubt was sacrilegious. There was no moment for doubt – only horror. For if their suspicions were correct, then head-diving into the lion's den, no protection, no armor, no weapons, no survival, they were.

The presence intensified. This time, it seemed to whisper things and Yamato's body stopped. He couldn't force it to move and his hands wouldn't form the seal; it was paralyzed, rooted to the spot, eyes lidded and falling shut.

"This is-strong… Very strong. TO THINK-we've had this under our very nose the whole time-tothink… To think NARUTO WAS CORRECT-to think we have found Uchiha Sasuke at last."

His knees buckled-Kakashi held him up, his Sharingan blazing red.

"Hold it together, Yamato."

"Kakashi-sempai, how can you-under this presence?"

"Because I want to."

"Ah?"

He was pulled back up on the shaky feet and dragged forward; his feet struggled, attempting to turn around and lead him away, because this place was good, this place was safe, it was everything and okay. But Kakashi-

"Think of Naruto, Yamato. Think of him. Think of the pain he went through. Think of what he suffered through. Think of him – finally being allowed to rest in peace after this."

"Rest in peace," mouthed Yamato and a memory occurred to him, far stronger than this presence, far stronger than Kakashi's words and more compelling than the sweet promises, than anything; at that moment, recalling it, the snakes of chakra huddled underneath the skin, the tree shattered to smithereens, the pitter-patter of his heart-"I think Naruto might just forever rest in peace. If-if this really is Sasuke's doing."

"What?"

"Kakashi-sempai, there is something I, too, have been keeping a secret. I wanted it to be just a crazy idea and Naruto did a good job of distracting me, persuading me. Now that I think about it-"-he did; his mind had latched onto the idea, as vicious in rewinding the moment all over again as it had previously been in getting him to be put to deep slumber,-"-it was a good ploy, possibly Sasuke's influence. Before, Naruto had been so transparent. Reading him now requires the skill not one person in Konoha has. I think about it now and I realize."

The leaves rustled.

On an early fall morning, the air was warm and pleasant, the perfected mixture of hot and cold.

And the wind was almost non-existent.

On that early fall morning, with no wind, warm air and the song of leaves composed by their immaculate rustling, Yamato's body lurched forward, the will to his feet returned and he-

-stepped forward.

"Naruto's health has never stopped deteriorating. Possibly, what we're seeing right now is just the calm before the storm."

Mist.

There was actual mist.

Upon those words, it appeared and both realized it had been there all along, that spell put over the area to guard it, and Yamato shot Kakashi a grim look and wordlessly, they ran forward. They ran, really ran this time, deeper and deeper cutting through the milky slopes of the jutsu like arrows through clouds, aware of their fears and their dreads and their utter insignificance in the grand scheme of things. The other teams had dispersed. They wouldn't answer to their calls, for this genjutsu had a lasting effect, as eternal as the fear the man had sown into their hearts and as long as it was in effect, not one soul in Konoha, safe for those strong of mind, would lend them a hand.

Yamato and Kakashi were alone to handle this.

However despairing, this fact didn't bring them down; the mist started to clear out, forming a path in front of them and when the tension become almost unbearable, when in turns they'd consider sinking down to their knees and beg to be released from under this spell, it disappeared.

It disappeared completely and altogether and in the middle of a circle-sized clearing no bigger than Naruto's old apartment they stood, a few miserable miles from Konoha, cornered by the trees with dangling branches and figures that solemnly stood in a semi-bow, their crowns forming a cage and no life, not even the buzzing of an inane mosquito around. The ground was evenly abused, small lines as if burned with a torch forming a square and as Yamato stepped forward, breathing labored, exhausted and burned out from the constant fight against own conscious mind, the invisible hinges were revealed, clanked open and the entrance parted by an inch, permitting entry.

They'd found it.

This was Sasuke's hideout.

Up to five miles from Konoha, with the monument visible in the distance, with Naruto's face the most defined amongst the others.

At that moment, they knew what they were meant to do next and they also knew they didn't want to.

"No traps," breathed out Yamato. "It's almost like he's inviting us in."

"We can't go in, of course. We need to report back," said Kakashi, looking around to survey the trees, no doubt yearning to find a number of life-threatening traps that would persuade them of Sasuke's genius, but as much as Yamato hoped, even his senses rested in fake peace; only the stomach churned around, butterflies confided within, frozen in panic.

"Kakashi-sempai, this…"

"Naruto was correct," announced Kakashi gravely, finally looking back, his eyes betraying the repulsion upon seeing nothing of interest; it really felt like they were meant to enter the hideout, follow the long dark corridor laid out in front of them and come upon, eventually, a large circle room with Sasuke stating he'd been expecting them.

"If this really is Sasuke's-it… It is. But in that case, it'd be foolish to assume he wasn't aware of our presence." But even as Yamato said it, no mysterious figures jumped on them from around the corner, blocking the entrance and broadcasting their intent to kill.

"He must be, but he's not acting… Is he waiting, hm. Waiting for-Yamato, what you said before about Naruto…"

He didn't want to remember. A part of Yamato deeply detested the memory, hoping to eradicate it instead. A part of Yamato stronger than any desire to protect justice, wanted to embrace ignorance all over again and realize the potential of the sleeping draft. A part of him feared to look at Kakashi and acknowledge the truth.

Finally, the entirety of Yamato realized – what great gift not knowing was.

Eyes transfixed on the door – possibly trapdoor, the entrance to a whole new universe with laws that stood in direct opposition with whatever they'd been taught their whole lives – he spoke in a condescendingly monotonous voice. "He suffered through another attack, right in front of my very eyes. I know what I saw, sempai, and it was yet another attack. At the very last moment, he directed it at the nearby tree and completely blew it up. And by blew it up – there was no tree afterwards; it simply ceased to exist. I fear, I fear… Sempai, Naruto is lying to us. I feel that if I go to him now and report what we'd discovered…"

"Naruto is going to appoint Sakura the new Hokage."

Yamato's head snapped up.

Kakashi's expression was of fury and the intrinsic layer of self-hate. "I suspected something. I should have realized it sooner. I knew, I KNEW something was happening… Naruto's whole behavior from a few days ago spoke of a farewell… The last few days he's been helping everywhere, constantly working, making small, subtlest of changes, leaving even smaller of hints of his looming demise. If we do report this to him as we should…" He paused to take a shuddering, choking breath; Yamato understood. This, he understood. This, he related to. This – he felt himself, that sense beyond gut-wrenching that had millions of needles prickle the cells in his body and snake around in a suffocating embrace. Strangled by this feeling, Kakashi let out a half-cough, half-groan, both eyes narrowed at first, before, along with the next words to seal the fate, they increased in size, as wide as saucers, as deadened as those of a rotten corpse. "I fear we will be the hands to lead him to his death."

At the mouth leading towards the dreamed philistine, they confessed as if at a confessional booth, and the pious was the condemned, the man whose ears and eyes were the trees, whose redness all-invasive had to rest even now on their distorted silhouettes and bleeding minds.

"Nothing helps. Nothing helped. Nothing could have ever helped. We realize this now and we realize this too late. The whole time, we were paving his last road to Sasuke, the very same road we had before blocked with our intolerance and our fears and our misjudgment. We are the ones to land the final blow. We are the ones that ultimately killed Naruto. We are killing our leader, Yamato, and the bonds he has with us started everything."

The puzzle pieces were together.

"All the stories," hissed Yamato. "All of them – had just Sasuke and Naruto. I never thought it important at first, but why weren't we around? It feels like – we never existed. But at the same time, the detachment with which Naruto spoke of everything… We struck first. We were ignorant and Naruto must have sensed it."

"And sensing it, he must have felt pain. As an orphan, as a person hated from his very birth, he learned to understand the importance of bonds. That's why he relentlessly chased after Sasuke, because he had a bond to protect. Never could he give up someone, never could Naruto give up on a person, but in his efforts."

"He ended up giving up on himself."

"In Naruto's mind, there was never a place for himself. It was always about us and Sasuke. Always, I believe, even during the moments with Sasuke, he must have thought of us, too."

"We were always on his mind."

"Always. To this last moment, it is that which remains to keep us at an arm's length. While at the same time – keep us close."

Yamato throat went dry. "We-"

"For once," continued Kakashi. "When we want to act, we can't. Now, now it is truly late. We can't keep this discovery a secret, we can't. We have to go back, let Naruto initiate the attack. And let him die."

A few funereal miles worth of delusions and fears. And hopes that at the very last moment, the shady jutsu would affect even them and brainwashed, oblivious they're return to Konoha, sharing the dazed looks with everyone else and persuaded of this place's innocence. But their grief was too great to be easily ignored and they knew – nothing would save them from it, just as nothing would save them from knowing – no matter what they do, Naruto's fate had been long decided. He'd either fall alone, or fall during a battle with Sasuke. And then, forever they would be separated by the mistake of those sworn to protect them.

"We have to-"

"I know."

"Sasuke is…"

"Listening, definitely."

"Kakashi-"

"_I can't._"

Yamato gulped.

Would Sasuke come out, usher them out? Just a little while separated them from either. Easily, they could enter the catacombs and be swallowed by up Sasuke's numbers. Easily, they could have a reason to postpone this. Easily they could-

"We have to."

"I know."

"Kakashi-sempai."

"I know."

"We-"

"I KNOW."

Kakashi had run off. In the appropriate direction that couldn't have been worse. He was running like a ninja and like a man, escaping from the reality he didn't welcome, surging towards the one that he hated the most, stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea. It was ironical that suddenly, Yamato couldn't tell which was which; was Naruto the devil, was he the sea, which part of the proverb did belong to him? Was he both, torn exactly the same way they'd torn him in two halves begging to be reunited? Would he, during the fight, find his missing half? Would he finally let out the lilting laughter, the dulcet tones of happy and satisfied, knowing he is whole for once?

Yamato was speeding after Kakashi, and branches in their way stood. Like clumsy children, they let the nature slap them around, hitting nearly the trees, the bushes, the flowers and tripping over the grass and if the mountain had tried to grow a meter from the gates, there they would have paused and considered it the greatest obstacles by far that deserved worship and not ignorance.

But far too quickly they neared the wretched place, far too quickly they'd reach Konoha, far too quickly they'd get there, they'd become re-acquainted with death.

The mist had gone. On their way back, nothing stopped them.

It appeared that as they ran to meet the destiny, the world yielded.

It appeared that the rendezvous with death, the world had consented.

It appeared – for once, when they needed the mischievous, taunting nature of the world, it would bow its head down, step aside and wait patiently for them to pass, as if knew-

-this time, there was no stepping the inevitable.

No time in the slightest.

At the very last, even it had to know that from this situation, there was no escape.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

-just suddenly, he snapped out of it. Just suddenly, the reverie he'd called peace was snapped from under his nose like a juicy piece of roasted beef and in dismay, his insides cried out, before-

"You were saying?" Tsunade was staring at him.

-the veil rose, lifted at last, and its departure marked the return of what he'd forever taken for granted, the knowing and awareness previously yanked away along with his pride and dignity. Wolfishly he blinked at the woman in front of him, but wolfishly became stupidly, stupidly – confusedly, confusedly – strangely, strangely – became horror. And he recalled in vivid details the venture into the forest, the fog that he'd struggled against for long hours, clawing at the ground, trashing about and clutching on the edges of the belief it tried to snatch away. Immaculately, he remembered the peace he'd detested, the sickness in the pit of his stomach, and his eyes reflected in his kunai losing their glint, pupil dilated and a velvet shade of ivory flooding his irises.

He remembered, as if awoken from a nightmare, every little detail from the past days.

_Oh god no-_

"Tsunade-sama! There is-"

All around, the jounin were staggering on their feet, leaning against the walls, some cradling their heads, some flabbergasted to the core, the realization of had been overlooked dawning on them without care for their feelings.

Tsunade was looking around, confused and angry. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Tsunade-sama!" Hinata had gasped. Tentatively, she was reaching out to one jounin.

"It's gone, it's gone! The feeling!" one man was shouting and looking around with wild eyes. "Oh god, what-it was genjutsu, we-"

"We fell for it, we fell for it…"

"What the-"

"In the forest, that one area protected by the genjutsu… We never saw it coming."

Tsunade's eyes snapped open. "What did you just say?"

The man to have first awoken shook his head; again, they'd come to report back, stumbling by accident on the ex-Hokage and the Hyuuga girl who'd demanded answers, and now-

-everything made sense. _Everything._

"What is-"

Tsunade was cut off.

Kakashi and Yamato descended from above, stopping so abruptly they left behind deep skid marks, both forlorn, estranged by the looks on their faces, both instinctively seeing Tsunade and running over to her-

"Tsunade-sama," began Kakashi.

"We have found it," continued Yamato.

"The hideout," finished Kakashi. "We have found Uchiha Sasuke's hideout. It's five miles from Konoha. It has been there all along."

They watched Tsunade's body become limp and angle backwards by an inch, hit by these words and realization flickering dimly in her eyes, before she turned on her heel and in a booming face-

"IMMEDIATELY, REPORT TO NARUTO! Uchiha Sasuke has been found, PREPARE FOR BATTLE!"

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

A string of rubber bands in turns swayed and buckled underneath the weight of the impacting feet, stretching and retracting to resume its original shape. Up and down the ankles the string skidded, fastened, yet, and taut. Nearby a group of girls in a circle walked, one squatted in the middle, blindfolded and swinging back and forth on her legs.

In pitched and doleful voices, the girls sang-"Kagome, Kagome, the bird in the cage, when, when will you come out?"

A bit further away, a group of boys and girls alike of different ages stood, assembling kites, tying strings around split bamboo, attaching the silk with hand-painted deep red patterns and singing together as some danced with theirs already flown in the skies-"Kate are rising in the sky, catching fair winds far up high. Rise up and rise to the clouds that float, fly high up in the sky! Kites are neat in the sky, dancing, leaping way up high, rising to the white clouds. Fly high up in the sky!"

Heart quivering with nostalgia, Sakura sang the last lines along as inaudibly as possible. "Falling, falling is the kite, run and run to keep it high. Oh, the kite is rising now, hold, hold your string tight!" Sat on the bench, she swayed side to side, feeling the wind in her hide, the torpid torrent of exhilarated, sleeping memory waft. Song stuck in her mind, she mouthed the last words again-"Hold, hold your strain tight"-voice level falling towards the last word. She wanted to hear Haru Ga Kita, Spring Has Come, but soon she'd be hearing Yuki, Snow, to celebrate the winter. Maybe these traditional nursery songs would do her no good, but this was the life her parents had intended for her, with childhood filled with the Kagome, Kagome game, wherein blindfolded and the oni, demon, she'd guess who was behind her. Or jump rope, where she'd fall, hit her nose, bump her forehead, scrap her knee, cry foolishly and then be up and about the next instant, all childish worries revolving around this idea of freedom.

She could have played the kite, could have learned to make one herself instead of knowing which spot to hit to make one cry, make one bleed out – make one die. She could have known how to dance in the rain, but learned how to fight in it instead. Could have come to love the strength in others, weaker than an infant. Could have loved the wings on a bird, the flow of wind under them. Instead, she learned to sprout her own, to be faster than any bird and seek strength, never happy with whichever she currently possessed.

Eventually, she learned the strength possessed her and the strength became her, never the other way around.

Her eyes closed.

A voice from behind her echoed with love the words of another song. "Sakura, Sakura, shining bright on a sunny March, spreading over hill and dale."

Without thinking, she continued. "Blooming graceful and peaceful, like an angel's silken veil, Sakura, Sakura."

She opened her eyes.

Naruto grinned at her. "Sakura, Sakura, how I love to see them."

A mischievous glint in his eyes, he took a sit next to her.

"I didn't know you knew these nursery rhymes, Naruto," she commented softly, prompting a nonchalant shrug from Naruto.

"I heard them? That's all. I vaguely remember some. When I was a kid, some children always sang one or another. I think this is the only one that I really remember."

"Why?"

His smile could have lit up the world. "Well, I had a Sakura in my class, you know?"

Warmth spread across her chest. "Yeah. Not having parents, you were never taught any, right? I forgot."

"It's alright."

"Mhm… I'm sorry."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm their warden, don't you remember? I sometimes work at the kindergarten."

"Oh, yeah, I remember now. You love children, don't you?"

"Hah…" She leaned forward. "I guess so." A smile twitched across her face. "I never thought of it that way, I guess, but I do like children."

"Do you want to have babies, Sakura-chan?"

"Hm… A family of my own. I think so, yes."

"Do you want to grow old with your husband?"

She laughed. "You're so full of questions today."

Again, Naruto shrugged, but his smile wouldn't falter. "I'm curious. I never got to ask you these sorts of things."

Sakura straightened herself up, scoffing in fake haughtiness. "Well, I'm a woman, you know? It's not my duty, per se, to become a wife, less alone now that I'm a kunoichi. I have different duties now, other responsibilities. I fear having a family would slow me down, but despite that…" Coy, she fluttered her lashes, another smile twirling her lips. "I guess… I guess I'd love that. Sometime in the future, having a family of my own would be nice."

"Yeah."

"And what about you, Naruto? Do you want to have children?"

By a friction, the radiance of his smile diminished. "I want to, yeah."

"In the future?" she asked on.

By another friction, the smile lessened. "Future… Hm. Having children, eh?"

"You'd be a fantastic daddy, I'm sure."

By another – he froze. "Daddy, me? Do you really think so, Sakura-chan?"

"When this is over."

She leaned back and looked at a random point ahead illuminated by the risen sun, the new day at their disposal. "You should settle down. With your own family. Or try to. I know things are hard for you now… But whenever I picture you as a father, I can't help but laugh and smile. Somehow, I see your children as being a little spoiled from getting too much love, but at the same time extremely courageous, very headstrong and tough. Like their daddy."

"This future you speak of… It might not exist."

Her brows burrowed. "Really, Naruto?"

"It won't exist, Sakura-chan…"

Her smile turned upside-down. "Oh. Why?"

"This battle with Sasuke-"

"You intend to die."

"Rather than intend, I-"

No. No, no. No. No. N-she turned to him, a panicky "please, don't" on her lips but-

"Hokage-sama!"

An ANBU guard arrived, without care approaching them. "Hokage-sama, Uchiha Sasuke has been found. We have found his hideout."

-and on Naruto's face, relief appeared and as it vanished a split moment later, Sakura became aware of the fear etched carnally into his features.

The future of him surrounded by children, the young rascals of his blood dangling off either arm, laughing and trying to get him to play a game, shattered into thousands of pieces.

Naruto stood up and Sakura followed afterwards-

-casting one last look of regret at the children ignorant to this world, lost in their own that knew no pain, no blood, no loss of a dearest one.

Then, they were gone.

Her delusions – along.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

_Try as I might, I can only remember bits and pieces. I remember these strange moments, recall the instances and can't help but feel so bitter about everything._

_He was always around. The whole time, he was around. Now. He is gone. Soon, I'll be gone as well. My fatalistic thinking amuses me. I'd never thought of life this way. Now I do. Now life feels like nothing. In the face of death, nothing feels much._

_Today or tomorrow, I will kill Sasuke. I will… Kill him. Will I really? Will I-?_

"The teams we've dispatched to the area report the disappearance of the mist. Hokage-sama, they were attacked by masked nin, by the same assailants that attacked Konoha. Uchiha Sasuke has started to move."

One hundred jounin. One hundred of the best there were. Strong, tough, precious.

"We can't wait any longer, Naruto, we must act now. More teams report several sightings. If we don't act now, we'll be caught off guard. We must not let them invade Konoha, not like the last time."

_I don't want to, I want. I just don't know. I just don't know what I want any longer. There are so many questions unanswered, so many things I don't know. When did I begin to lose faith in myself, when did I become like this? Will I face Sasuke, knowing nothing?_

_Knowing I am missing pieces of my memory… What will I do? Why do I suddenly want to-_

"He won't attack. He'll wait. We'll strike first. We don't know their tactics, but it's Sasuke, so he must have a plan. We must stop him from annihilating Konoha."

_-tell them everything? Tell them I am-_

"We'll form a barricade a mile away from Konoha southern gate. I want tracking teams, chakra sensors and medic nin immediately dispatched to the area, there will be one medic nin on three people."

_-not going to see their children grow up, not going to see the tomorrow, never feel the touch on my skin again?_

"A frontal attack is not logical from a strategic point of view, although-with Uchiha Sasuke's current position-"

"We can't be sure where _exactly_ he is, but, at the same time, getting inside the tunnels would be too risky; we don't know what to find there."

"Naruto, you're shaking, is this really a good idea?"

_Tell them I don't believe what I'm saying, that Sasuke would never hurt the people of Konoha, that Sasuke could never possibly be that monster, that Sasuke… Sasuke never was like that. _

"The tunnels could be set to collapse upon entrance. We can't send anyone in."

"Summons, maybe?"

"No, we'll smoke him out; whatever the tunnels are, he can't have had enough time to build them perfectly, even if it is Sasuke we're talking about. Sasuke's greatest weakness is that he doesn't expect to have any, but it's his way of planning, thinking that makes him very transparent. We'll sink the whole area of one mile perimeter from the tunnels entrance. We will smoke him out."

Continuation. Orders left his mouth without the dire need for preceding thought. They made sense, for orders lacking emotions always did. Distancing himself from issuing commands that would claim His life was easy.

Easy.

Easy, one hour later, to see them aim for the skies and assume their positions, get ready for the attack planned for nightfall.

His faithful Shikamaru remained behind, his faithful Tsunade, Kakashi and Yamato stayed.

They stayed to bore holes into his back.

_Just a few more hours, a few more hours._

_Ah._

A few more hours, then he could scream. Then he could release the tension that had been – over the course of past days – building up in his body.

Now, now he felt the muscles spasm, felt the blood vessels near explosion, felt his blood recoil and the heart pump without fever, without care, slow, tired and on the brink of giving up. At the very last moment, he knew, it would spring to life and be as alive as he dead.

Chakra like the poisonous snake slithered under the skin. On his chest, the dot pulsated and for a change, he felt it.

Because he was so close, it felt his upcoming last few breaths and heart beat into the lullaby of his thoughts. With each impact of the drumstick against his ribcage, one blood vessel expanded and veins formed on his body, spreading around as if a spider were spinning its web there, until he winced-

-closed his eyes, feeling its slithering touch on his neck.

Felt, similarly, everyone's eyes trace that flowery, erratic pattern rippling through his skin.

His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, pushing down the pained swallow.

"You're not going to survive the battle, are you?"

Dear Yamato.

"Naruto, you never healed."

Dear Shikamaru.

"You've known this all along."

Dear Kakashi.

"That really was the last goodbye."

Dear Tsunade.

Naruto looked at them.

"I will never be forgotten."

They didn't know. Even as they saw the veins reach his eyes and fill them with blood, they didn't know. Still, until the very last moment, they'd fear speaking the words and hope it was not true.

Now, as he watched them, Naruto knew this world could not accept this. Through gritted teeth he'd spoken, the mentions of pain hoping to lace his words hard enough to be considered equal. Still, his dearest would deny it, still, they'd cling onto the idea he would survive.

Again, he swallowed hard and looked away.

A crack on his skin allowed one rivulet of blood to spiral down his cheek. Safe for that, his body held.

_I envisioned my future differently, Sasuke. I envisioned us, strangely enough, not falling in battle, fighting until the end, but becoming old, wrinkled, together watching over new generation of ninja. Now, neither will have that privilege. Now, I am going to take it from us both. I am._

He soared to the skies, the others trailing behind, his wounds healing over time, mockery in that act on his mind.

_I'm coming, Sasuke. This time… This time. One of us is letting go._

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

"_NARUTO!"_

_So it would be Sakura then, that bullet shot towards the sky, signaling the start. Ironical, really; for the love of her, she'd not understand she had drawn the X on Naruto's back, she had set the gears into motion. But no matter, he'd thank her in his last moments, thank her enough for playing her role – maybe, too, express great a pity that unwittingly, she'd doomed them all._

_But now, it was time for his part. The play he'd written himself, the scripted scenario was of the cerise shade of anticipation, the distinct fragrance of fallen leaves gathered around its mother tree. With ease he unsheathed his katana, with ease sliding it along the gracious supple flesh on His neck, with ease listening to the words-_

"… _Sasuke, why? Why… Sasuke, why?"_

_-with ease replying._

_And almost, just almost, giving up half-way across the first syllable. Almost, just almost, choking on the first word. _

"_It's simple, foolish little Naruto. What defines me is power. What defines you… is weakness…" _

_Reprisal. He was running an errand for his future. If it would pay him back in money or blood remained the elusive question with non-existent answer. _

_He was a broken record, repeated from memory, the words once spoken to him a long, long time ago, the time that he considered the next and the future of tomorrow, that time to forever remain etched into his memory._

_Nii-san would be proud of him, no?_

_Itachi-nii-san would be proud to know Sasuke had learned well. _

"_Naruto… You have survived in this unsightly manner so far, surrounded by the stench of death… Dare you, then cling onto this wretched life if you wish and one day, when you're defined by power, if you are still alive by then, come back and face me… But do not expect me to sit by idly and watch this illusion. Until then, Naruto…" _

_Did nii-san feel this himself? Nii-san had failed, crying at the last moment. Sasuke stood proud, far from crying. In an unsightly manner, he retained the aura of a cold-blooded murderer, mind spinning around the axis of fright. _

_Nii-san had to have felt exactly the same. After years of torture, Sasuke could relate at last. What did nii-san do then? Did he sit to ponder his words over, try to find meaning in them? Did he too, give them second meaning, as Sasuke?_

_You have survived in this unsightly manner so far, every day one step closer to your destruction, dying away under my very sight, surrounded by the death you have brought upon yourself. If you consider your life dear in any way, live on, please, even if wretched it is, and one day in a future near, when you hold once more the power over own life, if you have survived until then, come back and face me... But do not, I beg of you, expect me to watch you die by my side, do not expect me to sit there and observe the touch of decay on your life, for I know I am helpless._

"_Just flee from my grasp."_

_The seal activated and he was gone under the blink of an eye. But the blink was long enough – to glimpse Naruto's eyes._

_He re-appeared on top of a tree not afar, Konoha behind, and he sheathed his katana, sheathed – _there is Naruto's blood on it.

_He ran. The place was there, literally around the corner – literally… No? Just down the road. He reached the trees, the secret trapdoor leading to the tunnels and made a complicated seal constructed slowly, day by day over the past years, his eyes the crimson-shaded Sharingan emptily fixated ahead. Hands moved swiftly, forming seals – ox, rat, rabbit snake – some others, many more. _

_A tide of power swept from him. On first sight, no visible change had struck, but then all animals in vicinity, one after another, marched away and he knew the jutsu had worked – his version was, after all, the perfected one, unlike the one he'd taught his soldiers._

_His job was done. Sasuke entered the hideout. A few miles down the road, and they wouldn't ever know. Not for a while, not as long as someone stronger didn't breach the borders, but knowing Naruto – he'd not send out his best. The best ones, he'd greedily keep the closest, a fearful, spoiled child afraid of losing its surrogate parents. _

_A mile later, deep inside the underground tunnels, he walked. Orochimaru had left him this, a parting present, something to remember, recall; long ago, the madman had built this, yet swiftly abandoned the place once cast out and only in passing he'd brought it up. Forgotten he'd considered it, a place gathering dust, but built as a jeer, jibe and the most sophisticated, unexpected of ridicule to Konoha; a laboratory with the most terrifying of secrets right under everyone's nose. Over time, the tunnels had collapsed, little of their original structure preserved, but the feeling of ominous followed them even now, incapable of properly separating from anything the man had touched. Sasuke only needed it, this place, to work. For a few, a month or two, it would suffice. On the grounds that bred misery, he'd stay and wait. And gather others, stealing the wolves dressed in sheep's clothing right under their noses. He knew – he knew Naruto would come. Eventually he would._

_He would._

_He had to._

_He HAD to._

_He-_

_-coming upon the center of large hall, Sasuke's body halted._

_Within the safety of the shadows, a form flickered, its outlines wispy, the body moist like a newborn's, and the eyes glowing golden in the darkness. _

"_You really did it, young Uchiha. You really betrayed him. I wonder… How did it feel to betray ssssomeone in the exact manner like your brother had… Sssasssuke?"_

_How did it feel? The creature desired not the answer, only to inflict damage. But Sasuke wouldn't succumb to its prying nature, knowing well this step had been foreseen years back. Years back, when he'd started with the plan to lure Naruto out of his shelf and make him admit the truth, see the light of the day for what it really was, not the web floating aimlessly in a bottomless pit of darkness. But building a rift-_

_-how did it really feel? Sasuke understood at last Itachi's feelings. At last, Sasuke understood the chase to span over years Naruto had wasted on him, but what would a few months do? Their number was greatly insufficient in comparison to the years, to the tremendous efforts wasted on one soul, on one brother-like figure in his life. Of course, Naruto would have to forgive him for this, just as the world would. Over time, everyone would. Once they understood his goals. But until then… Until then?_

"_Pressssumably, you're expecting it to work… I wonder if it really ssssshall."_

_It would. _

_Even when swallowed up by the pain, Naruto would seek him out. To… extract revenge upon him, to return the… Pleasure?_

_His vision swam. Or the world swam. Either of the two was playing tricks on him and failing him. Something was spinning all around, making the dust rise, making the winds circle his figure and create an impenetrable wall of cutting razor and white mist._

_He would not regret the decision. _

_Just as he didn't regret sending Iruka away. Eventually, the teacher would thank him for this bizarre and sudden decision. Eventually, they all would thank him for saving Naruto's life…_

_Or for postponing his death. And condemn him for that._

_Because with Iruka knowing, Naruto had been the frailest of flowers. Because Iruka knowing was the time skipping forward. He needed to make the man go away, needed to make him disappear… The knowing was a curse. And the curse had slashed back, striking Naruto down. They would understand. Over time, everyone would. That he'd only protected Naruto, for around the caring Iruka, with his understanding, Naruto had only quicker decayed, pestered to do so by his guilty conscience. _

_Sasuke had only protected him._

_Caused him pain. Realized – he was causing him the pain. Realized._

_In order to save Naruto._

_HE had to leave._

_You don't realize what you have until you lose it. _

I have you, Naruto, I still have you… I…

Have…

…You…

_His knees went – snap and hit the ground._

_Sasuke kept his composure, kept his everything because in the long run, he'd made the best choice there was. _

_Until understanding reached them at last, they would go through the canals. They'd experience the kennels of this inglorious life. They would trash about – a shark attack. And he was the shark gnawing on their flesh, the deus ex machina, a serendipitous mannequin._

_It wasn't his utmost desire to possess their approval. It was his wish to achieve understanding. For his actions. A pardon, a glorified excuse for the bloody Valentine. _

_They would understand._

_Just as he did now._

_That the reality of losing Naruto._

_Was hitting just now._

_He couldn't close his eyes._

_In front of him, he saw the anguished, wrecked expression in Naruto's eyes as the betrayal sank in. _

_It was going to be alright. Naruto would come back to him. Naruto would realize. Naruto wouldn't die. They'd not have to fight. Not to their deaths. The coloratura, the crescendo and the overture. He'd handle all. Even the end. The end would not imply their end. They'd manage. Together. And he'd save him._

_Sasuke would save Naruto._

_It would the first time in his life he had saved someone._

_Not his family, not his team, not his brother, not himself, not his bonds. _

_He'd failed everyone._

_But Naruto – he would not. Naruto – he would save. Save even if he had to slash his way through the mass of bodies protecting him, even if he had to make him bleed all over again and supplement the burning nerves in his body, even if he had to, again, do the obligatory speech of I hate you. Even if he'd need to cut through the bones, push aside the fleshy parts and grasp the heart to feel it bleed out. Even if he had to chew through own feet, spend a metaphorical eternity in Kabuto's presence that was pristine clear and pristinely jinxed. Even if he had to watch these poppets, insert the man's venom in their bodies, control them with his Sharingan – stab and be stabbed by their proof of his genius._

_And his fucked up._

I would do anything, Naruto, just to save you. In the end, if I have to die to become a savior, I will do that. I swear to you – that you, I won't let down.

_Still, his eyes wouldn't close._

_Empty and dead, transfixed at a random point ahead._

_His heart beat a thousand miles per eternity, where one eternity – one second. _

_Though in comparison to Naruto._

_His pain, his wait. Was nothing. _

_The emptiness in his heart would leave. Over time, as Naruto returned, it would leave and again, he'd consider himself something akin to happy. Exalted the feelings of happiness were, revered and venerated. _

_You don't know what you have until you lose it._

_Sasuke had known all along._

_But knowing._

_Did not erase the choking feeling in his body that threatened to make him cry hot tears of pain._

_And shame._

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

"_Waaah… Sasuke, Sasuke, look! Sasuke, that is-oh. Ooohh…"_

_At once, Naruto blushed and reeled back._

_Idly, Sasuke followed his eye line, chancing upon the sight of two in an intimate embrace; at the Konoha gates, a man and a woman stood, kissing with tender passion and much like cheap actors from a movie; sloppily, with exaggerated need and anticipation… While Sasuke held no particular interest for slang, one expression suited the cretin the best; they were sucking faces. There was no emotion driving their movements, rather desperation and gallant instinct. They weren't comparable even to animals, nothing altogether carnal about their need to express this burning sensation settled in the depths of their stomachs, just the dying will and the self-preservation instinct which was the ultimate engine behind this. Still, it lacked so many things._

_Still, despite everything, Sasuke was envious of them._

_Next to his side, Naruto was fumbling around for words like an idiot, cheeks tainted a furious shade of red that Sasuke detested on his face. _

"_Oh, wow, they're like-not even ashamed… I mean, what kind of a kiss is that? The best there is!"_

_Sasuke scoffed and turned on his heel. "The worst there is."_

_Chattering away under his breath, Naruto caught up next to him, the blush finally leaving his features as it ought to, leaving them untouched, ridden of the defilation they'd suffered. _

"_How come? I thought that was a pretty passionate kiss. Hn, are there more kinds of kisses, Sasuke?"_

_Sasuke scoffed almost again, but repetition wasn't to his liking; thus he settled with looking at the road ahead, ignoring the bask of the sunlight soiling the streets of Konoha in its departure. Not that he'd know the answer to that, given how Naruto denied him the… Ah pleasure? But he was foolhardy for being almost twenty already and Sasuke wanted to openly laugh at his naivety. _

"_There are," he replied simply not a second later, sensing Naruto's dispute over this manner._

"_Heeeh… I think you kis-well. So what kind of a kiss was that?"_

"_A goodbye kiss."_

"_Eh? A goodbye kiss? What kind of a kiss is that?"_

"_The kind, Naruto, you'll never receive from me."_

_Naruto halted in his steps, staring at him in bewilderment and Sasuke afforded a victorious smirk to trace the aimless current of his thoughts. _

_Thinking to humor him, he stopped, too, head turned sidewards by fractions considerably miniscule, eyes landing on Naruto's stunned form-_

"_Because I'll never leave you, Naruto."_

_The miser blinked, eyes wide. For Sasuke only, Naruto blushed the cerise shade of flowers in full blossom, before his lips twitched into a smirk and he trudged forward again to stand by Sasuke's side._

"_Sasuke, you can be so awfully romantic at times."_

_They resumed in walking, Naruto's bright and cheerful demeanor as nerve-grating as compelling and Sasuke looked at the road ahead._

"_I was being honest."_

"_Honestly romantic, romantically honest!"_

_His brow twitched in scorn. "There's nothing romantic about me, Naruto."_

"_Sure is. You're all about being romantic, Sasuke," laughed Naruto, making a large step forward to leave Sasuke a few inches behind. "In fact, you remind me of the books Ero-sennin made me read, you know? The Byronic hero, an avenger, but secretly a dark and passionate lover with charisma that bends minds and parts oceans. Hm, I remember this one word from his books, what was it-ravish. It was ravish. I bet you do the ravishing."_

_Sasuke sighed. Amusement or bemusement, either would have been the option pliable, but Naruto was making it a tremendous task to decide whichever to opt for. "Do you even know what it means?"_

"_Ravish? Vaguely, sure."_

"_You don't."_

"_Well, I do."_

"_Naruto, if you knew what it meant, you wouldn't bring it up around me, less alone suggest I alone was the epitome of that word."_

"_Jeez, Sasuke, calm your horses."_

_He honestly didn't know what it meant, did he? Sasuke let his irritation briefly show before grabbing Naruto and pulling him close, whispering the meaning directly in his ear – using the vocabulary of the simpleton to get the message across, ignoring, also, the blond's flabbergasted look surely inflicted by the public street they walked down and the many eavesdroppers watching their exchange with hunger. Once done, he tucked away Naruto's frozen form to walk the safe distance of three feet from him again, pretending no obscure exchange like this had happened._

_Pretending – not so much, because watching Naruto's face lose all its color before the pink took over was too precious._

"_Oh," managed Naruto after a while. "I see. Hm… Well…" He coughed into his fist to hide the embarrassment and smiled brightly. "YUP. Totally Sasuke!" _

_Sasuke bid farewell to keeping his façade; obviously perturbed, he let out a loud and undignified scoff, a scowl sent in Naruto's direction. _

"_How you reached that conclusion is beyond me, Naruto."_

"_Pfft, you're so blind to your own actions. You're all about – rawr, rawr, rawr, let me possess you, let me own you. Grah, grah, grah, I am the master, roar, I am the sensuous beast from your nightmares. Oh, woe is you, for I shall now devour you senselessly and leave a lasting impression."_

"_An interesting excerpt from a book, until the lasting impression part; that wouldn't make it into any cheap erotic novel."_

_Naruto shrieked with uproar, flailing his hands about and garnering himself a few disapproving looks from their law-abiding fellow citizens. "Ero-no! Love novel, love! Not that I, er… Read any, you know? I didn't. Okay. A bit? Juuuust a bit. Only a bit, Sasuke. Point being, so like you. Actually, that wasn't the point… I mean." He coughed, the puerile antics toned down to a level where Sasuke didn't contemplate voluntary man-slaughter. "I liked that kiss. I mean, the one I saw? It was pretty. Sad if it was a goodbye kiss, but still… Hm. Beautiful? Was raw and I liked that."_

"_Raw in a very restricted sense, maybe."_

"_What do you mean?"_

_Confusion. As per usual. Honestly, for a man his age, Naruto should have possessed more intrinsic knowledge in regards to the world outside childish problems, but Sasuke still thought to consider himself lucky; if nothing else, Naruto was at least a quick-learner, even if the process of ramming the teachings into him was long-winded and grueling. Rewarding only if he willed it._

"_It lacked the beauty you speak of, Naruto. Beautiful things don't look that way. Still as a kiss, it was controlled and the participants held back the whole time. To put it simply for you, Naruto, they kissed for the sake of kissing. That was their parting kiss. There is no worse kind of a kiss out there."_

"_Huh…" Naruto lapsed into silence, lacking in the signature defiance for once and Sasuke wondered if his words had left an impact for once, if they would bounce off as they usually did, the courtesy of Naruto's thick skull. It wasn't going to last for sure, yet the reaction and its exact departure was still a mystery to him. Maybe a few more minutes, maybe even a day until Naruto's mind produced something fruitful and coherent, or maybe-_

"_What do you consider beautiful, Sasuke?"_

_-maybe that. Something vague and cryptic that Sasuke didn't wish to grasp. For a dead last, Naruto had far too many moments of brightness blinding, but Sasuke had gotten accustomed to that by now and thus, showing no indication of what he truly thought, he gave a small shrug._

"_It doesn't matter, Naruto."_

"_It does to me. What is beautiful?"_

"_You should decide that for yourself."_

"_Huh… Well, not going to point out you just contradicted yourself, since you'd deny that, but okay." Naruto made a good use of the pause to follow, allowing Sasuke to fully realize he had, indeed, contradicted himself now, but a few seconds later Naruto spoke again, effectively cutting Sasuke's mind off mid-blow to his pride. "How do I tell if something is beautiful?"_

_Then, Sasuke thought he'd have preferred to suffer from anger instead. Wasn't Naruto just full of questions today? Sasuke found himself hoping to finally reach the Hokage tower, where the grumpy old lady would eagerly sate any Naruto's urge for a whimsical debate featuring lack of common sense and logic. Unfortunately, as he looked up to gauge for himself if forming a reply was worth any time at all, he came up to the faint outlines of the tower erected on the horizon – so answer he would have to. _

_Sigh._

"_Naruto, that is up to you to figure out. Beautiful is something, I suppose, that draws a specific physical reaction from you. Some people note their heart constricts and the presence of butterflies in their stomach. Some experience sweat, higher blood pressure, pupils dilated, and what some fool had called – having their breath taken from them. More often than not, this would be mistaken with falling in love, yet both are reactions chemical, wherein your brain reacts to an object aesthetically pleasing that gives you emotional satisfaction. All in all, it should satisfy a number of your, hm, cravings, essentially. Both the body and mind are content with whatever has come to your line of sight and react appropriately by making you experience this satisfaction. The object excites admiration, promotes fascination. Both mentally and physically."Beauty was a very comprehensive word, but applicable to far too many things._

_In Sasuke's eyes, it had lost the allure many to this day mistakenly assigned to it, but he'd not bother with bursting their bubbles. Their failure in properly categorizing things for what they really were was none of his business; however great their fall, however sinister his mind, the macabre in him laughed at whatever wholesome life they sought to live, whatever things they'd consider dear, whatever notion of beauty they'd inflate as much as their egos and carry around. _

_Sasuke could care less. But maybe his companion here would remain dissatisfied? Testing the waters, Sasuke looked at him-_

_Naruto's lips were drawn in a breathless smile._

"_I see. So that's how you tell the ugly and beautiful apart. I understand now. In such a case, I know what beautiful is, Sasuke."_

_The enticing structure of the stars in his eyes beckoned a sudden stop to the world around._

"_You are beautiful, Sasuke."_

_A stop to Sasuke's heart._

_Heart constricted. Butterflies appeared in his stomach. Blood pressure skyrocketed. Beads of sweats touched his palms. _

_As simple confession as that, simply took his breath away._

_For all his knowledge, for all he knew, he was reduced to a speechless nobody in a foreign land._

_And Naruto stepped over to him, smiling wistfully. "Man, your hair looks so… Horrible like this. So horrible, I say."Much like a wife, much like the something Sasuke couldn't stomach, with the unbidden quality of an irrevocable lover, Naruto pulled a strand of dark hair from behind Sasuke's ear, tinkering with the tresses with the patience Sasuke had witnessed only in battle, before Sasuke felt their caress on his forehead. Naruto's hand hovered in the void between them – hovered lightly and confidently, with that touch descending upon Sasuke's cheeks to briefly cup the face, before – sliding down and down and down… Down over his jawline, down to the elegant nape, down the curve of his shoulders, resting there for a moment, then down to Sasuke's elbows. Over the creases of his clothing, over the hem that marked the line between material and bare skin. Past the hem, grazing the elbows and down to the wrists, where his hands drifted away, only the fingertips remaining in the ghostly contact with Sasuke's skin._

_What did he say now? Did he admit he felt revered, he felt needed, he felt most purified by the words, cleansed from his sins, risen to the skies? Did he admit – to wanting to-_

_Naruto's eyes met his._

_Sasuke wriggled one hand out of Naruto's reach, put on the back on his neck and pulled him close, the distance between them-_

_-barely there. He wanted it, just one IT, just one tiny something he could breathe in and make his own. Something to possess without shame, for it possessed him back with equal force, so this would suffice, this – their foreheads touching and noses too close, Naruto's warm breath on his lips and making Sasuke's mind feel clouded and heavy. He couldn't. He wouldn't. He shouldn't. He can't._

_And he wanted to._

_His lips – barely, so barely, lighter than feather – ghosted over Naruto's-_

_-and he pulled away instantly. Too close. Too… Close. Close. Teetering to the edge of doing a public mistake, Sasuke waltzed forward with a new aim, and Naruto-Naruto was behind him, laughing quaintly, quietly under his breath, yet Sasuke could hear each lilting tone to filter in the surrounding area and make it resemble velvet. _

_What was so funny about it, so-_

"_I embarrassed Sasuke. Ehh… I learn new things every day, don't I?"_

_Ignore. Ignore. Ignore-_

"_Oh, Sasuke almost just did that. In front of everybody, too! And it's late afternoon, too, which means people saw, ooohhh… People will talk. Well, well, well, what do we have here? Oh, Sasuke isn't speaking."_

_Ignore, keep ignoring._

_Naruto tutted. "Now, now, Sasuke, don't be like this. I mean, what will baa-chan think when she sees you like this?" _

_Just ignore him. The tower was almost there. He wouldn't run, he wouldn't show we-_

"You can do it at home."

_-aknes-_what?

_Naruto was walking a few steps in front of him, hands clasped behind his back, a joyous, childlike step to his life march, and the sun at its most blinding and life-changing radiance bathing his figure in a certain golden glow._

"_At home, Sasuke. You can. I don't mind. It's wrong. Wrong as it is right. As long as-well. I don't know. What are we, really? When I saw that couple, I kind of thought of us and I kind of thought – any of your kisses could easily overshadow the peak of their passion. I don't know. Why did I think of that? Obviously, they are lovers. Obviously, we are not… Sasuke, you never told me why you kiss me. Eeeh… And you know what? I don't want to know. When we get home today…"_

_Dulcet tones rumbled past Sasuke's lips in a laugh that came from his heart. Before Naruto could finish that sentence, Sasuke's hand met with his neck, fingers gliding along the tanned skin stretched over the taut muscles and around the nape his fingers traveled, coming to a step at the shin to lift it up, to impose a number of questions that showed in Naruto's eyes to-_

_-give the blond, blue-eyed joy a rare smile._

"_Come, Naruto." _

_He felt so many things in his face. The wind. Why was there always a wind? Was it drawn to them? Envious? Jealous? Did it yearn to have what they did? Yearn to posses this._

_Pinnacle of P?_

_P as the Pride, the Perfection, the Peace, the-_

_-ravine of everything they were._

_As._

_As this. Like this. Everything really was perfect._

_Wish this state, this stagnation of the world around as they progressed. As they grew closer, as side by side they stood, taking the steps one at a time and without care for the direction. Wish this moment when no-one interrupted a moment._

_Forever lasted._

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

"It's set to explode now-"

"No, we need to wait for the other teams to return."

"No time. Hokage-sama said-"

"Wait, did you hear that?"

"No, there is… are… No sounds. Nothing."

No words. No grass. No world existing. It had gone completely still.

They – five men, jounin, ready to die, willing, however, to survive – exchanged looks, before-

-almost, they died.

The ground under their feet almost erupted, spilling hot boulders everywhere and quaking and they jumped to the tree tops to safety, where-

"REPORT TO HOKAGE-SAMA!"

-safety ceased to exist.

Three, two injured, liabilities, one healthy, the protector, ran to the barricade, two stalled the enemy – the soulless, nameless and heartless men standing opposite them, clad all in back and faces mostly covered. Only their eyes exuding killing intent were exposed.

The two assumed fighting stances, kunai firmly in their hands, ready to fight even if, from all around, dozens of chakra signatures neared, even if, at this rate, their will to survive would become the dying men's testament.

Even if, this fight, they felt, was just an exaggerated, bloodied lover's spat.

Their eyes burned.

For Hokage-sama.

And they engaged the enemy.

With the first blood drawn, at the brink of the night, the battle, without further ado.

Started.

Separated by just one mile, each standing at the opposite end of the fate's thread, Sasuke and Naruto awaited each other's death.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, but the story idea is mine alone.

**A/N:** I feel so awkward knowing that while proof-reading this, I almost started crying twice T_T What is wrong with me? Ugh. I just love my own story too much. Oh, no, ego trip. Guuurl, don't send yourself on your… very own… private… ego trip _ Well, okay!

Here is another update. It took me a while to put this up because of personal issues. My eyesight is kind of bad right now because of an eye infection, which makes proof-reading quite… Impossible. Words meshed together, sentences blurred… Oh, lord. Well, it's okay now… Sort of. And I'm putting this up (: I hope you enjoy this chapter! Even though I certainly don't possess the power to do more proof-reading, so forgive me for any spelling mistakes and such. And-

So, guys, I've received my first flames. My, my. And I'd like to say-I am eternally grateful to the flamers for actually giving me constructive criticism _ Granted, not sure if I can call them flames, because the name alone has an unpleasant connotative meaning, which wasn't the case. I doubt those people will bother reading more of my fic – or somehow stumble on this, **but I'd still like to say-thank you** : ) I am grateful even for those words, because instead of saying something obtuse such as "you suck" and waltzing off, you put actual thought into your reviews. It felt nice. And on this note, **thank-you goes to all my reviewers, to everyone who bothered with replying!** Did you know, guys, that we managed to reach a 200? Oh, gods. I am like T_T Getting all emotional again, I'm tearing up, though that could be just the eye infection… My sense of humor = stupid. xD; But. **THANK-YOU ALL, REALLY!** Keep it up, yes! After all, we do have only one chapter left and then maybe the epilogue o: Oh, god, I'm going to miss Sole so much : \ And about this chapter-

I love that scene between Sakura and Naruto. I researched Japanese nursery rhymes to give the scene a special feeling and, you know, I just really, really love the scene. It's one of my favorite. I find it so warm, gentle, frail… /sigh

Did you enjoy Sasuke's flashbacks? They reveal the truth. The sad, sad bitter truth… Were there any of you who really believed Sasuke had betrayed Naruto? I remember, weren't most of you confused by it? For good reason. Sasuke, oh… Oh Sasuke, he could never do that, never ever, and that first flashback was a scene rewritten from his POV, a scene taken from… Chapter 9, 10? When did Sasuke "betray" Naruto? There. I hope you know now.

Stay tuned for the last chapter of Sole, which is going to be everything combined and all of the truth – at last – revealed. **Please, do review on, do read this, do enjoy this, do leave me a message. I love, love, love hearing from you… Really do.**

_In next chapter, how exactly was the seal formed? How does the fight unfold? How do Naruto and Sasuke meet? What role do villagers play in it? What is the greatest contrast in the Naruto world, why should it be between the ninja and the ordinary? And just how we can we watch the end when we know the truth, when we know Naruto and Sasuke just were meant to be, when we want to lock them in a room and let them resolve the issues… Just how, how can the true end be stopped?_

**Rating:** PG-13 for themes, blood, swearwords, and **sexual undertones.**

Thanks for reading. Remember to R&R! x)

If you have any questions, add them in a review or message me personally :)


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter**__Seventeen_

"I wonder. How this all began. I need to think. To the moment that started everything.

The creation.

Of the seal."

Aimlessly, the body floated through the whiteness of this limitless world, no walls existing to bounce it off them, no ceilings to fall along or the floor to break its fall. In this light, the body succumbed to it, yet no distortion arrived; almost, the act of complete annihilation was loving and tender like a mother's hand on the child's tousled hair. Step by step, the light grew more intense, solidifying its impenetrable hold on life and death, on the body arched back most elegantly and graciously, for in his last few minutes, he'd be allowed dignity and respect of the world that rightfully belonged to him. And step by step, indeed, the body disappeared, its outlines merging with the surrounding light, all of it swallowed up completely by warmth lulling and regal.

Until He arrived.

A hand turned ivory and delectable in the light shot out truly out of nowhere, curling around one ankle to yank the body closer and pull it close. It released the ankle, next holding onto the shoulders and pulling down, until – truly out of nowhere again – firm ground beneath their feet, yet still white and glowing, materialized, and four feet planted lightly onto it-

"Naruto, wake up. Wake up. WAKE UP!"

He shook the body, watching with growing terror as to and fro the head limply lolled, following belatedly the body, and he gurgled on the rising panic, eviscerated the feeling of helplessness, because he knew – Sasuke knew and understood, Naruto was still there.

"Naruto… Naruto… You WILL NOT LEAVE LIKE THIS." He held, firm, the head in both hands, and under his touch the body flickered, growing heavy and inching to slump forward, before, just as firm, the feet touched the ground-"You spend four years of life chasing after me like a loser, like the fool you are and all to become nullified by your death. You hear me, Naruto? Your efforts were for naught, all was in vain._ You. Lost. You lost, you idiot._ _So come back and reclaim your efforts as in vain you laid your life down for them._"

Not like in the movies, not in any sense dramatic, the eyes fluttered open and Sasuke witnessed the arrival of light into them, until – they regained their clarity and color, muddled by the happenings of the world and the current state of mind, yet all was pushed back by the entirety of Sasuke's wrath and Sasuke saw-

-Naruto return.

Deceitfully, the skin under his hands jumped to life with warmth. As he released the body, it physically touched the ground, corporeal in this lane of the mind. And Naruto blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice-and reeled back.

"What-Sasuke?"

Soothed – angered at once, hateful of this man in front of him, Sasuke took a few steps back. "Hn. Finally."

"Fi… Finally," repeated the blond, a broken, aged record-

-but his eyes were set aflame, understanding in its blood-tainted form like the stained glass in a sacramental adobe putting hate-hot coals behind the ragged breathing and plaintive, horror-struck movement.

"You… Sasuke, you-What that is…" He utilized the anger and used it for purpose. "What the-you-UGH. Can't even let a guy die in dignity, eh?"

What an audacious answer. What a fool, what a mongrel-

-Sasuke raged, fisting Naruto's top in his hands. "Your stupidity is of unfathomable levels, you fool. What do you think you're going to achieve by this? Is this how you picture yourself making your dream come true? You die and it's OVER."

Naruto pried him off, teeth bared in mutiny and eyes flashing hotter than the surface of Sun. "Oh, wow! Jeez, Sasuke, stating the obvious. I mean, wow, what are the chances of, oh, you know, dying and STAYING DEAD?"

"That is what you want for yourself," growled Sasuke, shoulders squared.

Naruto's brows created a mighty scowl, a hiss vibrating through his lips. "What I want for myself, eh? Whatever… Please do me a favor and leave-this is my mind, eh? The mind and place of a dead person," he commented airily under his breath, having the cheek of looking around as if expecting this white prison to assume a more concrete form. "Huh… It really is. Reckon this is what Gaara saw? Huh." Helpless, he smirked. "Whatever. Sasuke, please, just leave. Let me, well. Let me die, Sasuke."

"Heh. And make this easy for you?" He wasn't making sense. He, the Uchiha, wasn't making sense. Naruto couldn't die. Not like a coward, not using such lowly means to flee from his touch.

"Easy for me? Oh, right. Easy for me. Very. Oi, Sasuke. _Look_."

_What-_he wanted to snap, but instead he looked-

Naruto's hand had fit through the gaping hole in his chest, the heart.

Sasuke lurched backward, hand flying to his mouth-it was impossible, there existed nothing that filthily physical in this realm, but the sensation of almost throwing up was strong enough to easily deceive all his senses.

Victorious in a gritty and wrong sense, Naruto's smirk widened and he shrugged, the hand long removed – but the hole ever-present, a manifestation of his true physical state and when Sasuke looked close enough, he could see the various scars and bruises that littered in faint image Naruto's entire body, poking through the gashes, the cuts on his clothing, visible even underneath that attire the man opposite of him worn. As if a mockery. A mockery. Of Sasuke.

He gritted his teeth. Lowered his head, eyes embraced with most anticipation by the lids, prompting them to heavily arch over the pupils and turn them into two equally long lines singeing.

"Aa, Naruto. So you intend to simply die."

"Intend," repeated Naruto loftily, ignoring the looks sent in his direction and walking by, this intangible reality forming invisible walls, ceilings and floors for them to lean into whenever necessary, but the levity was a lie and soon afterwards – a violent shudder hit his shoulders. "Intend… Sasuke… What do I intend to do, hah…" Even he lowered his head, yet for purpose different, for the blond hairs shielded his eyes, covering a portion of his face bearing whatever emotion – whatever… Whatever. Because Sasuke… That Sasuke did NOT intend to know, even if a part of him wished the man stripped and begging, pleading for-something obscure and strange. Even if-"I intended to do many things in my life, Sasuke. In the end, I intended to save you. Even at the cost of my life. Well, look what happened. For once, I really kept completely to my word, eh? For once…" He lifted his head, revealing the grievous, anguished face. "I managed to do something."

"Death is your idea of something?"

"I don't know, Sasuke, you tell me. Tell me, why are you here?"

He motioned for the blinding whiteness around that was starting to distort, succumb to waves as it sought to spirit the young soul away, just small, erroneous tremors going through it.

And carelessly, like this didn't matter to him at all, Naruto shrugged. "Why are you here, Sasuke? Do you want to fight again? Ah, that's not going to work, you know? After all, there's nothing here. Here, you can't use your chakra. And, honestly… I think I'm through with fighting you." Like a child, he shuffled around, making a semi-circle with his foot and a gracefully stepping forward. "Here… Well, here, I just want to be swept away."

Sasuke's eyes remained narrowed, dangerous and hateful – hated.

"Did you come, what… What, Sasuke? Nah, don't tell me you came to say goodbye? You really don't strike me as the kind, although what I knew what about you was only as much as I got told… And as I felt."

"Really, Naruto. And what do you feel right now?"

Naruto looked around. "You know, I don't feel a thing. I don't feel… Anything. Well, I guess this is death then, this is what death feels like… Like nothing… Huh. But." And he looked back at Sasuke, frowning a little, confused a little, amazed just as much. "I can feel _you_. You are inside my mind now. I guess that means – I am still alive. One breath away from death, no? Or one blink. Huh, what amazing things the Sharingan can do."

Sasuke made a grimace, features contorted without struggle to create a façade of utmost revolt. "And at your very last moments, what you do is wallow in self-pity. Exactly as the dead last you are."

"Oh, yeah. Or that. Or you came here to argue. You know what?" Naruto put his hands behind his head, tone elevated. "Whatever, Sasuke, whatever. I can't be bothered with it. That's not how I want to remember you, really."

"Remember me, Naruto… _Really._ And how would you like to remember then? Tell me? Tell me, Naruto, what you do know about me."

"What do I know? Come on, Sasuke, I know nothing about you, do I? I mean. If I did, I guess there would be-what I remember, what I pieced together. But, of course, being the dead last, what would I know?"

"I didn't come here to cater to your self-deprecating tendencies."

Slowly, Naruto's hands fell back to rest tightly – sternly – by his sides. "No, Sasuke, I never had any such tendencies. I only had the dream to preserve our bond. For that dream, I was willing to die. For that dream, I did die. And if you think you can come here now and rob me off that feeling, then-"-déjà vu; almost a year ago, Sasuke had walked into Naruto's mind, witnessing a debate between the carrier and its guest of honor, the Kyuubi, and now – now Naruto, exactly like he had those many ago – outstretched his hand, ready to banish him. Only here and now, the gesture had an opposite effect.

And Naruto, slowly and with languid care, like the rose petal colliding with earth, started to float away again. "Go, Sasuke. Let me die already."

Sasuke-

-tensed.

"I'm thinking, Sasuke… I'm thinking." His voice became a lilting echo, magnified and resonating with his mind. "Jiraya… Jiraya, that old man is on the other side. And my parents. Kaa-chan, tou-chan… Man, I saw them both only once and even then it was when I got close to letting Kyuubi win. You know, Sasuke, I didn't lie… What you did. What you tried to do to Konoha."

Their eyes met.

"_I understand._"

Inches off the ground, body arcing backwards-"I understand. I can't blame you for that. I tried to carry your pain. Maybe… Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't. But I understand. That's what I'm going to hold onto, Sasuke, and that – you can't take away. You can scream, you can belittle, degrade me, humiliate even my grave, defile the memory of me, but you won't ever take from me – that I understood. For a really brief, tiny moment…" His eyes, lulled by a lullaby inaudible to Sasuke's ears, closed. "I understood your pain. I understood everything about Sasuke."

Like an angel he flew away.

Almost, Sasuke could see the wings, but Naruto's had no feathers, because Naruto's life had never known the touch of light and tender. Now, the wings would be constructed of cut lines wiring around their axis upwards and to sides to form a metallic, yet pearly white structure as clean, as beautiful as the man again disappearing out of his sight. In his last moments, Naruto would be a martyr, taking to his grave this battered, glorified lie. Remembered for all eternity, from the beyond and to the beyond – as a fearless man to willingly embrace death.

What cretin. What fool.

What-

"NARUTO YOU IDIOT!"

His hand shot out, fingers missing Naruto by less than A STUPID INCH-and the ground beneath his feet disappeared, crumbling away like his dreams, desires and wishes by this unexpected turn of events and he struggled, fierce and ferocious, fighting tooth and nail in his mind as well – this current trying to sweep him away.

Naruto was looking at him, the eyes barely parted to allow view of his blue eyes that swam – with confusion but-but something else, something that Sasuke WOULD acknowledge as the signature trait, something that he would think of with all his might and HAVE in his hands to control and forever possess, because-

"What do YOU THINK YOU ARE going to achieve by this… NARUTO? You know NOTHING of me, NOTHING of this world and as you die, you know NOTHING ABOUT YOURSELF! Dying? Meeting people you love? Who are you kidding you goddamn, filthy and pathetic mongrel. People you LOVE? You'd do everything to keep your bonds, Naruto, but you'd do nothing to let them keep THEIRS."

They were in a place – perhaps purgatory, the station connecting the afterlife with life. Distance of several puny feet separated them, petty under the weight of his words. Their bodies were angled backwards, arched to fall down head-first, to impact with the ground of the worlds rightfully theirs for the claim, and between them – an invisible line marking the firm ground where they could stand, where gravity still didn't become. Odd aims in lives would suck them into opposite directions, but the vertical line switched to horizontal, gravitation swapped.

"You were meant to die by my hand, Naruto…"

_Mine alone._

Neither controlled this world. In reality, neither could. But Sasuke WOULD.

"Not."

"Your."

"_Own."_

To HELL with this world. He lurched his body forward, using the chakra that didn't exist here – so using, in reality, his will only, making it as corporeal as the hole he'd punched through Naruto's heart, until again firmly on the ground he stood, feet feeling the-

-hole. Hole. The hole on Naruto's chest.

_I will make that. Naruto. Go away._

_I will make that disappear. Your ultimate failure. Your ultimate weakness. Your ultimate._

_Fear of redemption._

Naruto's toes grazed the ground, then the feet progressed down and in front of Sasuke, Naruto put his hand over the chest, doubling over-pale, glittering liquid seeping through the fingers.

"What is it, Naruto? Is your very soul crying? Does your soul, Naruto… Does it know?" A step taken forward. Thundering around. Lightning bolt struck. "Does it know what fool you are? A fool aiming to die?"

The fool looked up, hand pushed away.

Another step.

And each and every one followed by the typhoon of Sasuke's whispers, accompanying their cutting, brutal, terrorizing strength for like a knife into butter they sank, sliding in the substance tender and sublime. So very sublime like Sasuke's vicious, berating Sasuke's fervent denial and I, like his aim and direction, like EVERYTHING he was losing now, that very little that had left. All because of Him. "You do this-THIS. And you act like you're proud. Fool. You are-such-a-FOOL. You protect the bonds and at very last moment you SEVER them all, Na-ru-to. All gone, all gone – because of your SUICIDE. Because you struck yourself, landing the killing blow. It was YOUR hand that took your life and on this planet, in this universe, in this world there is but one person that will claim your life."

His hand covered the wound on Naruto's chest-

"_Me."_

-fingers twisted and curved, knuckles bared and bone protruding, skin stretched across it and tearing.

"One person. One being. That will be – I. Uchiha, Sasuke. Not you, not anyone else. Not your stupidity. You promised to carry my pain. _You are my pain_, Naruto. Right now."

Into Naruto's flesh, the fingers dug all over again.

"_You are all I have left_."

Naruto's eyes were wide to taunt innocence, to taunt naivety and represent the world's every childish selfish proclamation of I.

And then his fingers curled around Sasuke's wrist.

"All you have left is the pain I represent… Sasuke… What THE HELL DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"

And shoved it away.

"I gave my life for you, my everything. My-"

"YOU DIDN'T!"

"Oh, Uchiha, getting honest and emotional NOW when I'm dead."

"You are-"

"Not dead, not dying, Sasuke? I AM. And I-I DON'T REGRET A THING!"

A child throwing a fit, Naruto slapped Sasuke's hands off and backed away. "I don't REGRET it. Don't force your beliefs on me, Sasuke, just do not. Because I do not regret it. My blow killed me? Oh, yeah, let's say that in the figurative sense – it did and I killed myself. Was it all in vain, Sasuke, was it ALL in vain?"

"Hah, what did you think would happen? I'd march back to Konoha, fall on my knees and beg for forgiveness? For starters?"

Naruto shook his head wildly side to side, features scrunched up in anger and despair. "No-I-I knew you wouldn't."

"So for nothing you lost your life. For nothing, you hoped to become exalted. How very typical. A fallen hero of Konoha. Fallen for nothing."

"Nothing, you say. Nothing. I will die and Madara will still find a way to extract the Kyuubi from me… Then. Then, it will have been for naught."

Sworn to protect Konoha, eventually to die for it.

"Who will defend Konoha if I am gone, huh? Who will… Will anyone?"

Sasuke yearned to laugh in his life. "You think so highly of yourself, so-"

"I am not a high-ranked ninja, eh, Sasuke?" And now he was grinning, a ravenous filthy thing spat across his features to make him resemble the death bearing a scythe, hefting it over his shoulder. "I suppose that is why you came to pay a visit to me, eh? Because as a high-ranked ninja, you can't bear the thought of your equal disappearing. OH RIGHT!" he shouted right before Sasuke could speak up. "I don't understand you. Still. You'd keep repeating that like a broken record. I guess that's your occupational hazard; if you're the avenger, who could truly understand your duty to revenge, huh? Bull freaking shit… Sasuke." He laughed. "These people… Even now, I want to protect them."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

Naruto didn't yield into his stare. "My dream of becoming the Hokage was a shallow, pathetic cry at first, just a mere plight." A hand was lifted, balled into a fist and in it clutched the dream of his. "Over time, I got to understand the true purpose of such title. The person to become the Hokage protects everyone. A protector. Who protects the protector, though? The people, of course. How could people that hated me so protect me back? I thought of this too, you know. Once I had finally seen the truth – I thought of so many things. Still, I guess… I guess there is one regret, one unfulfilled wish… That I won't ever get to bear their pain for them."

"Your dreams, Naruto," began Sasuke in a meticulous, chilling drawl. "Were always as empty as that head of yours. People are naturally ingrates and would not learn to accept you. And you, in turn, would never protect everyone."

"I would. I would. Hokage or not, I would protect everyone. I would carry everyone's pain. I would, Sasuke, and if I got to live again – _I would carry all your pain, all your hate all over again_."

The world around them – breathed stilly. The sorrows in it strove for eternity of living.

"Would you, Naruto? Protect everyone?"

"There would be no massacre ever again, Sasuke."

And he knew. Even as he neared death, Naruto knew, even as the air around them changed to give under the weight of the accumulated decay, knew even then the greatest fear of the one opposing him.

Sasuke knew, too.

"Do you swear, Naruto?"

Naruto didn't blink, didn't hesitate. "I swear."

"If you got to live again."

"I would defeat Madara. I would protect Konoha. And let no-one experience the pain of loss again."

At the same time, they stepped forward.

"What can you do, Sasuke?"

"I will give you, Naruto, my chakra, draw the Kyuubi out."

Breathed out. "I will live again. And protect. And what will you do, huh? Uchiha Sasuke sacrificing himself for someone… Almost enough to scar my opinion of you even if, in the past… Heh…"

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak – a fine mist in his mind was produced, clouding his rationale and the self-preservation instinct; he'd pour everything into Naruto, give up on all – for the purpose of having on life-time chance to claim and be claimed by his touch? For what purpose would he let this life flourish, when the yearning to snuff him out beckoned his tongue, throat and vocal chords to speak the words of no? What was the purpose of helping him stand on his, what, when the bond with Naruto he'd long severed? Now, between them, the thread halved would float in the air, would-

-not be forgotten.

In his life, despite his genius, despite the progeny of the mind, Sasuke would not – ever in this existence, understand, would not know, would.

Not sense. Be able to utilize – why he'd spoken the next words. Because he had severed the bond, had made it a foolish intangible embodiment of Naruto's ideology, had made it-

_I never severed the bond._

_I severed you, Naruto._

_So, this is how it is, then? You would continue to haunt me even like this? Always on my mind, Naruto? You are undeserving. You are not suitable to exist under my presence, you are no-one. Just that fool who shouted my name, just that idiot who refused to see me for who I really am, just that idiot, the cretin to crawl at my feet and repeatedly speak of second chances-No. You never did speak of those. Because in your mind, I never stopped being a part of you. Is this it, Naruto?_

_Would you, even in your death, remain that distanced scream of my name, of someone you'd depicted me to be? I am your fabricated story, or I am an essential element to your being, but why cut me off-_

_He's not cutting me off._

_This is his acceptance. This is Naruto's way. Of redeeming me. _

_In the eyes of the many, he becomes the legion and he becomes the missionary, he becomes the sun… The one… to scream my name even now… Now._

Even now.

Sasuke's eyes froze one thousand times over.

"You have become a high-ranked ninja."

Everything was raw. No limits and breaks, no restrictions and obstacles.

Only he, Sasuke.

And Naruto.

Only the two of them.

"Your life is mine. Forever mine. Never let someone claim it. Never. Carry my pain if you believe you can, but for that – remain alive."

And speak it.

"_Let's make a deal, Naruto._"

Blue eyes bore into his. They were blue and just that. Not empty, not electrifying, not paled or gleaming, bearing a foreign shine – no. They were blue. The true blue. No carrier, no personification of thoughts, of feelings, no feeling corporeal.

They were the true blue. Unadulterated, unfiltered and uncontrollable blue.

They were Naruto.

"A deal," mouthed the blue.

"A deal," confirmed the black.

"Continue."

"A deal, Naruto, to forever govern over this, over your promise. I will bring you back, but in turn, you will swear to me on your life that you protect everyone to the last person."

"A deal, Sasuke… A pact between the two of us – with our lives the highest bid. Let's really put both of us into this. Let's form – a something to keep this real. You… You will…"

The hand he's previously clenched – opened and on the palm upturned, threads silvery gathered. "I will make a promise and so will you. A promise with our very existence at stake. Not just the life, but the existence and in case of breaking it – for the pain we caused, we will suffer as many times more."

"Sealing it like this, Naruto. That is unnecessarily dramatic."

"Isn't it, Sasuke?"

"You want to form a seal."

He was drawn to the willowy threads dancing on Naruto's palm, forming a spinning wheel similar to Rasengan, but as he focused, all blurred and the threads seemed to sing and scream at once, millions of whispers breaking each other apart and splitting at the ends, cracking and creating a bitter symphony of life.

_Naruto's life._

This thing on Naruto's hand was not chakra.

This was piece of Naruto himself.

"No hand seals, nothing of that sort. We will…"

"Exchange life forces."

Naruto didn't understand, did he? What exact thing he'd come up with. Something akin to a plan ingenious and disastrous at once, but whatever it was, Sasuke obeyed-

-lifting his hand up and watching webs circle around the center, spinning a ball.

"What do you swear to do, Naruto?"

"I swear… I swear to protect Konoha. I swear to protect every life in the country. I swear to guard everyone, never turn my back on anyone. Always to stand by their side, always to be their protector, as the tragedy of Uchiha would never repeat itself. I swear – I will stop the pain from spreading. It will no longer infect our hearts. No longer."

"A foolish promise." Befitting a fool.

"What do you swear to do, Sasuke?"

What? Sasuke's thoughts halted, turned to a puddle-that. He would swear to that. "As you wish, Naruto. I swear to never betray Konoha, to remain loyal to it." To it… Didn't matter. To Naruto, to his dreams… Echoes of own past haunted him. Was he to share this with Naruto?

So… Be it.

"I swear to never hurt anyone again. Never to extract my revenge."

His revenge, in the event of Naruto's failure, would be Naruto's very death. With a part of him inserted into the man, it would feel like he had landed the blow himself, like his very soul had acted.

Naruto nodded, a smile haughty and serendipitous on his face. "Fine."

_A seal with no markings, no hand seals, eh? If such a seal shall exist, only time will break it._

"Fine."

Acting at once, they placed the glowing concentrated thoughts against each other's chest and-

-inserted them.

Sasuke felt pain. For a while, he felt pain that wasn't his own. For a brief second, he felt things that never happened and for a while – he thought he recognized himself in their distorted reflection, before the feelings of Naruto and I gravitated towards the center, meshing together.

What he felt then.

Was solace. Trepidation. Penance. Resentment. A foreign object entered his body and his Uchiha blood struggled with it, no acceptance easily given, no purchase available, but the fall was inevitable.

And the tidal pool – unfathomable.

A wave of peace that embraced him.

Where did it come from? Was it the seal-

-was that the truest, most crystallized form of Naruto's soul? Warm. Like the sun. Bright. Like the sun. Vivacious, audacious, unabashed and unabridged.

Then, it was just Naruto's hand over his chest, feeling the heartbeat that in this lane, shouldn't have existed.

Then it was their hands pulling back – and mid-way through to returning by their respective sides, they halted mid-air, seeking to be held in a fateful handshake that yanked their bodies closer, made them the irrefutable victims of drowning.

Naruto's eyes really were Blue.

"This seal, Sasuke…"

"This seal. Is what will bind us together. Not just our promises. Us."

"Was it necessary?"

"Hah, you remark that now when it's too late."

"Sasuke." A blasphemous, sanguine smile. "You really are a fool."

What?

"We have already been bound. A long, long time ago. By our fates, by our meeting."

His wounds had disappeared. But Sasuke hadn't started yet, he'd not done a thing to save him, not-

-a thread between them remained.

Soul bound.

Despite that.

Sole.

"Now, together… Eh? Okay, Sasuke. Start. Bring me back."

Alright.

He brought him back.

But in this lane, in this strange, white realm – that he realized possessed an area of plaintive, beckoning calm – he didn't break their touch. In this existence, in Naruto's mind, he didn't break contact.

He continued to hold Naruto's hand in his, incapable of severing – it. Of severing. Naruto again.

Why. He'd ask himself. Why. What would this come to? Would this binding mean a thing, change a thing? Would he come to see Naruto's pitfall, his spiraling to doom? And if so, Sasuke asked himself.

Would he continue after him?

Light disappeared, shattering apart like the fragments of glass.

Naruto's wound sealed up.

The whole time, in this realm.

Naruto didn't break the contact.

Hands connected, for all eternity in this place.

Forever bound.

"No wonder, no wonder again. Because – there were things that should have been said, but-I could say only as much as I knew.

There never was any place for wonder."

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

"The world of ninja was Spartan. They saw reason in fight, fight in reason. And they never saw – what the real World did."

A kick delivered to the chin snapped the head up in a painful manner. The body followed in unwanted obedience, propelled through the air in an arch that resulted in a lucky flip – so when it hit the tree, the back took most of the damage and the head remained unscathed. Despite that – he fell down and didn't get up.

Sai cast a quick glance at the man's direction, assessing his injuries and – seeing the chest rise and fall in broken steadiness snapped his attention right back at the enemy; he was going to be alright and Sai, unfortunately, had not the time to waste further time over the man.

With speed unprecedented, Sai whipped out a large scroll, releasing the end in the air and watching it stretch into the sky. A brush he took out, already dipped in ink, and swiftly as the scroll spiraled towards the ground he sketched a beast with the claws and teeth of a dragon. The scroll fell upon earth, covering it like a blanket, and Sai slammed his hands against it, chakra curving the jagged lines of the beast and prompting it to rise up.

The assailants had little to no time to react but being puppets – they didn't understand the concept of fear; they attacked the beast head-on and still Sai could see improvement in their blows from the last time.

Still, he could see.

They stood no chance.

In movements executed without care for own fate, they defeated the beast, eventually springing towards him-

-at that moment more beasts of varying shapes and distorted features, drawn quickly but efficiently, appeared from the scroll, and each claimed one enemy life. But Sai wouldn't stall behind to watch their demise. He jumped to his feet and ran to left, the chakra bugs of the Aburame clan appearing all around him, either to lead him to his destination and guard over him, or have the last word in the fate of those to have attacked Konoha.

But did they really?

Putting out this seed of doubt, Sai continued to run, coming not so eventually upon another group of fellow jounin battling the enemy forces. They were scattered, both Konoha and enemy jounin alike. What Konoha nin had was a general advantage, sheer prowess and many jutsu lined up and hidden up their sleeves like aces, their very trump cards. But the enemy had brutality and the will to lay down on life for the sake of winning. Uncouth they were even when fighting, but Sai couldn't deny there was something scary about their sharp blows, jagged movement. They felt like possessed and Sai, in a way, feared them. He feared what they represented, something like a spitting image of the past him and the present form of the many other roaming this world, all of them lifeless in thought and gone in emotion, all those – Sai had once considered own.

Through the trees, he soared.

Was there any need to fight at all? Naruto was- looking for Sasuke, no? And an hour ago, the fight had started and Sai couldn't remember a fight that resembled so little the true thing. Their tactics, considered crucial at first, had come to their end upon the enemy simply diving into their frontlines and taking their men without care for own health. They were puppets that easily discarded own life and Sai.

Sai felt pity for them.

"SAI, TO YOUR LEFT!"

He came to a halt, bent his body back, avoiding the body of shuriken bearing a resemblance to crows in the winter circling the skies, aimed to cut him in half. Hands touched the branch, pressed flat and weight shifted to them. Swiftly, Sai jumped back, automatically reaching for own kunai to throw it to his right. Where a scream of pain would have come, silence existed.

They had as much will to live as they had to feel.

And the man hit didn't even budge. In a way, watching him still surge forward even with a kunai lodged in his liver was comical, but in another way-_what are they?_

Lee's nimble form came soaring from above, harder and heavier due to the weights he wore even now, and two men were struck by him, instantly falling off the tree and the other three – fell similarly, soon to join their kin as Lee's kicks were executed swiftly and without precedence, striking the enemy beastly, coolly.

The man – so often parodied for his bowl hair-cut, the green spandex and unibrows – was gone the next moment, Ten-Ten and Neji following behind him and disappearing into the trees, seeking another enemy.

Instead of following their example, Sai took the most inappropriate moment to procrastinate.

It made no sense to see everyone scattered this way, for all to have dispersed in different directions and forming an assembly strong, sure, unbeatable, but with no sense for cooperation. The infiltrators – with their lack of judgment, feeling and life – were like a curse spread, injected directly into their veins and calling for senseless battle and vicious attacks… For despair. Sai felt it. They were despaired, the lot of them, the Konoha nin. Because this was no battle.

This.

Was a farce.

A game of cat and mouse, with the mouse scarcely ever protesting caught pronto and without any struggle to accompany it. And the cat wasn't growing tired of its dismayed, uncultured acceptance of fate, but scared of the semblance to hurting the innocent. However were they to face an enemy that didn't consider them evil? However were they to strike them down without doubt when the men were mere figures clad in black, inexperienced and moved by strings invisible so far? This way, all down to the last would die.

Sai realized he was feeling remorse for the unnecessary deaths.

No matter. Must continue. He'd come to realize, after all, exactly as the rest of them, what the true purpose of this was.

A tirade physical, an exchange utmost – between Naruto and Sasuke.

_I must stop this._

He sped forward. Like an uninvolved spectator, he watched from the sidelines the progress of the many fights, already estimating another hour – at most two – before the enemy was pushed down to its knees and ultimately defeated. It astounded him in sense to note the fighting had been going on for an hour, when their numbers, while vast, were comparable to flies; they were the huge, glorified distraction, one to take the greatest hit-

"SAI!"

_I know, you don't have to tell me._

This time, Sai didn't stop.

Kakashi took care of the man for him.

A faint thud resonated around, lost in the sounds of the background fights, and only involuntarily Sai stopped, yet-Kakashi and Yamato were nowhere in sight and-

-he sensed their voices from below, discussing things similarly as Sai had with himself before. Briefly, he contemplated relentless pursue of their Kage, before omitting reason and following them; he had a hunch their new-born cooperation would coax some answers out of these cursed surroundings and somehow, that was more important than the unison of their souls. He landed on the road, the dead body of the ninja sprawled in front of him, the face revealed and any obligatory mask missing. Sensing his presence, both men looked at absently, their wordless communication filling him with a sense of dread.

Not knowing what to suspect, Sai neared them and-there was the puppet with its strings cut off, a beautiful mannequin out in the display but without the pedestal to hold it up, any idea of dignity was turned into ridicule. Almost, Sai felt sorry for him, almost – because he recognized him.

"Missing nin from Suna, a low grade, ranked D criminal, Katsumi Shigeru, disappeared ten years ago, exact whereabouts unknown, a petty man with a trite bounty," quoted Sai, speaking softly in the delusion the corpse could be spirited away, and Yamato gave a nod, features set tightly into a pained contortion of his features.

"For Sasuke to have recruited him, he must have been hiding in Fire all along," said Kakashi.

Sai shook his head. "How is that…" He couldn't finish. It was easy for the small flies to find shelter in someone's home, for the pettier they were, the harder it was to capture them; the greater men were exalted as much as they were feared, a certain respect given freely and assuming the form of a cornered animal. Of those magnificent and grand, gallant killers, people would speak. Of the lowly cretin, filthy ingrates, they would not. That way, the lesser the crime, the greater the freedom. No matter what they committed, their unadulterated disregard for feelings and the abuse of people would grand them eternal freedom. It was sad to see how lowly the mighty have fallen, even if self-proclaimed mighty they were, and Sai let one sigh slip past his lips.

"So the others-,"-he began, pausing awkwardly before the ability to form the question was mustered up, and Kakashi accepted the burden instead.

"Possibly, they are all the missing nin from all across the country Sasuke had gathered. Of course, to weed out this many, he must have done extensive research, must have looked for months. Despite the time he sacrificed to gather this smaller country, it can't be denied that-"

"They are weak." Yamato's voice was a quaking and unfeeling curse; feeling no pity whatsoever for the victimized, his apathy towards the man full in play, he turned his back to the carcass of a human. "We are winning this too quickly. Naruto-sometime during the fight, Naruto disappeared. And even before-"

"Yamato-"

"_Sempai_."

Kakashi and Yamato had a symbiotic relationship, where the dominant figure was undoubtedly the former and Yamato, unfortunately, rendered the host to any Kakashi's whim. But as of this moment, their roles may have very well forever been reserved or turned equal. Whichever, Sai didn't know, but for once – Kakashi was not the king, Yamato not the comedian.

Once more, both looked at Sai, gauging his outer appearance and having another of those silent conversations that Sai wanted to be let on, but before any mind frustration with them could appear, Kakashi nodded and acted.

"Sai, we must look for Naruto."

"I was looking for him, too."

"We figured. We'll need to find him before it's too late. You'll come with us."

"Where are-going?" Sai's inquiry was a chopped reply as mid-sentence, Kakashi and Yamato sped off into the opposite direction and Sai ran after them, their bodies jumping towards the trees and ignoring ground.

He didn't get his answer. Not verbally, no. A second later, Sai recognized the meshed surroundings and the path under their feet that curved left to right before becoming completely straight, leading, no doubt, to the Uchiha's hideout. The distance short would be overcome within moments. Soon, they'd encounter Sasuke in a fashion strikingly similar to the day years back, when roused from his apathetic reverie Sai had accompanied the remaining, distraught team 7 members on a mission to find Sasuke. Soon, they'd encounter Naruto and Sasuke. Fighting. No?

Sai gritted his teeth. The wind was merciless, slashing at his face, cool and wispy and filling him with dread. Unbeknownst to him, he slowed down, falling behind Kakashi and Yamato-

-but then, so they did. It was if were their fears of what they'd encounter were slowly paralyzing their bodies. They needed to be precocious and precautious, but for once, their feelings were at stake. Should they, indeed, stumble on the fight, what then? Sai felt the fighting in the background subside. Teams were winning, Konoha would prevail. But where was Naruto? Where had the man, no later than a few minutes into the fight, disappeared?

Where was Naruto?

Lifeless trees planted on an infertile ground greeted them. The semi-circle they entered, the open trapdoor they saw, but try as they might, they drew a blank; nothing in their vicinity betrayed any event to have transpired there in the past hours and as Kakashi muttered under his breath that since their departure, not a thing had changed – no grass strand broken, no footsteps seen – Sai felt his stomach constrict; agonized it was and Sai lost touch with his ability to ignore and barricade; at once, he was as susceptible to change as any other man walking this perimeter.

Boldly, Yamato marched forward and his fingers grasped the trapdoor, pushing it further up to reveal the darkness of the tunnels inside. "Naruto wasn't here and Sasuke, as it appears, has yet to show himself. Where are they? And what now?"

Kakashi was even bolder.

"We go inside."

And inside, an explosion was heard.

"The world is one, but some would deem it being compromised of two; twins jointed at the hip, forever to exist together, one taller, other shorter, both with minds of their own and hearts beating for other goals. The larger world would earn respect. The smaller nothing. The larger world was everyone's focus and primary goal.

In reality, the world other was of graver importance, for the other world-

-smaller, puny, weak-

-was the world of heart. And it knew love – when it saw

Love."

Like a pathetic mousy glob he curled into a ball.

"We can't-"

"No, c-c-c-c-c-c-c-aaaaan't-"

Like a chop chop chop of the butcher's knife landing on the neck of the chick, the words of others whispered in hushed unison came out, jagged and cut.

But a child tugged at her mother's pants. "Kaa-chan, kaa-chan! Hokage-sama, is he…?"

The mother shook her head and pulled the girl behind her.

Another he – a man just as aged and whizzed shook his head frantically, erratic and jarred breathing accompanying each thought born and diseased in his mind. "We-can't-can? I-can we? We… No power. But."

"What we saw," breathed another, a man younger, a failed nin probably, for not all were suited for the profession.

"What we did see," repeated a woman, eyes glistening. The sun had set, the night come and not one slept.

The whole of Konoha was awake.

Every man, every woman and every child groaned in their wake, seeing the fight continue on the darkened horizon.

"What," whispered a child.

"We can't… But, kaa-chan… kaa-chan!"

The girl fled from her mother's protective hold, running towards until the mother's frantic yells stopped her feet right upon reaching the gates.

"Yumi!"

And Yumi stopped and turned around, weeping.

"B-but! We all saw, didn't we! Kaa-chan, tou-chan! Everyone! What we did see-our Hokage-sama… He is." Into a ball she curled and on the ground she knelt. "It wasn't that bad, was it? It is bad to have a person you cherish?"

A group of children cried into the silent night.

Parents, worried and younger, older and differently aged, yet possessed by the unique and phenomenal fear of the foreseeable future, exchanged looks.

Yumi's mother stepped forward. "Dear girl… No." She sobbed. "It's not bad."

She turned to everyone. "We can-can… can we?"

A collective sigh.

"This is stupid," announced one young boy sagely. "Very stupid."

"Very stupid," echoed a man wiser and older, aged like wine and with the taste of bitter pill on his tongue. "Those ninja are so stupid."

A laugh.

"So stupid, indeed. They would think it was cursed, in reality… In reality."

"It wasn't, was it?"

"No, no."

"Wasn't."

"We never spoke."

"We were meant to be protected."

"Can we protect, too?"

"Can we?"

"The protectors, who protects them?"

"Who stands guard over them?"

"Is this gratitude?"

"No."

Yumi stepped onwards, her mother, her father, her friends, her brethren – the villagers in tow.

"This is justice."

Into the forest littered with the wounds of the fight they walked. Together, an army of trust and truth.

Once more, the girl Yumi tugged at her mother's clothing. "Sakura-hime was always so hurt, you know? She was. Love ostracizes, doesn't it? The ninja are so stupid. They thought it wrong, but it was right, you know? I always did see them and always did think – Hokage-sama and Uchiha-san must really, really, really like each other! Because wherever Hokage-sama goes, so does he. Uchiha Sasuke. And the ninja thought Uchiha-san was so evil, but we saw… Those moments. Ne, kaa-chan."

The mother swept her darling child off her feet, carrying her in her arms.

"No, dear girl. It was never wrong. This world is simply that stupid. In their world of ninja, they couldn't have guessed that an emotion that pure existed. I suppose they must lead very sad lives then, if a simple thing as that would elude them. I suppose you are right for feeling sad, my child, because what we saw was the exact opposite. The ninja on their gatherings spoke vehemently of brain-washing and in doing so over the course of past years were the reason behind sole. In reality, Hokage-sama and Uchiha-san, what they felt…"

"Sole," echoed the child.

"Sole," echoed a number of people around.

The forest welcomed them. Littered with bodies and ninja running to their aid, to protect and stop them. But for once, they protectors needed to be protected.

"We will save Hokage-sama!" shouted a man so old he must have come from a fairy tale – or from a book speaking of rings and evil lords that needed defeating, of a tale about friendship and the force of the heart that would prevail. And of the goodness in every soul and how one mustn't seek it. For – ever and always that feeling is with us, always an essential without which survival would be a must.

The ninja, astonished, made attempts feeble – before at once pushed back, the marching of the Konoha unstoppable and at last – the truth revealed.

"And we will save Uchiha Sasuke."

"In reality, the concept of perception is mistakenly elusive. It must be understood from within and that within is the very soul of any a being. Most unfortunately, seldom would one glimpse at what is inside and realize the human mind withholds selflessly all answers to the greatest mysteries. If they'd only looked like the villagers had, they might have understood that the answer to everything-

-was saying-

_It's alright to love_."

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Naruto had frozen.

He knew where this tunnel was leading. But for the life of him – he could not damn understand why that idiot Sasuke would have dug one that led directly to the Valley. And wasn't that the very reason he'd stopped? In his tracks. Yes. Right upon realizing it. Intent upon turning on his heel and leaving and – besides, he couldn't feel Sasuke even in his Sage mode, so-

With a shaky breath, Naruto turned to Sakura and Shikamaru.

"We plant the explosives here."

"The tunnels will collapse," said Shikamaru as he glued the explosive tags onto the tunnel walls, Sakura following instantly and covering the ground.

"What if someone decided to…?" Sakura shook her head. She looked most troubled. Naruto didn't envy her. He didn't envy them the nervousness they felt, just as they didn't envy him the tranquility in his gestures.

With rigorous love and threat, Naruto walked forward. In the darkness of the tunnels not lit, he could see everything.

Sakura and Shikamaru finished placing the tags.

They approached him.

"Will this be alright, Naruto?" Sakura asked. Asking about leaving the fight, about staying here, about not seeking Sasuke out-

Naruto's lips twitched. "Let's run."

Seconds were left before they were set off. Seconds to run, seconds to escape from certain death that would follow. Shortly afterwards, they set off – and the explosives set off, too. Throughout the tunnels, an explosion rocked. And it came to life.

"You didn't think this through!" Sakura was shouting, the tunnel's embrace missing her by an inch.

Naruto grinned and – in a subsequent action, laughed out loud. In the background noise, the sound of his laughter did not disappear.

It was brought out, much like make-up did to complexion or eye-color, much like lipstick to lips, clothing to a figure or a hair-style to the face shape and neck, to the elegant lines disappearing into the shoulders and creating the crook most comfortable for any an embrace or moment.

In this background and horrific noise, Naruto's laughter was sound and was the sound itself. In this noise, it rang about, lilting and beautiful, yet raspy at the same time, a strong pitter-patter of his heart carrying a portion of that sound as the hilly-billy which was this backwoods tunnel collapsed.

"I really didn't think this through!" he shouted through the dust and the dirt. Behind them, the throat was closing. They could only run to the stomach. But the stomach was-

Naruto closed his arms, whipped around and stopped.

Too late, Shikamaru and Sakura reacted.

"What are you-"

"RUN!"

He really hadn't thought it through. Neither was built for speed, neither nimble enough to escape this. And the ground neared them. Feet away it was, the tornado of dust preceding it-

_Not like this, I'm afraid. Never like this. Whether you're here or not never mattered. What matters – is that I must erase. Everything. Every little thing touched by you. Including me._

Within three seconds-

-a clone appeared-

-Rasengan formed, the chakra concentration heavily failing in this little confinement, the tunnel walls creaking and sucked in and spat out, quakes under their feet-

-the chakra on his palm exploded.

Fire with fire.

The shockwaves of both explosions impacted and above, around them – freedom. Crumbling to mere dust, the ceiling ceased to exist, like geyser gushing out from the ground and giving them just enough time and opportunity to flee. First went Sakura, jumping out, then Shikamaru, soaring like an eagle, and then-

-a subtle cerise kissed his lips and a caress of a finger traced them with a hiss as into a smirk they widened.

Naruto jumped.

The clone poofed. High into the dark sky he was flying, eyes directed automatically on the ground to see a large area laid to waste, tremors bursting through and creating cobwebs that spread about like disease.

Senses were failing.

He'd jumped too high. Below him, Sakura and Shikamaru were escaping the impact of the tags, further and further away from him, their anguished faces leaving scars on his mind.

_I jumped too high._

_The fall will hurt_.

A bit higher, just a tiny, tiniest of bits – until he could swear he saw the moon and the sun and the stars and the true sky, until he swore – there. There were the clouds. Wispy almost on touch, feathery and dreamy, dreamed much. Until he thought – he floated aimlessly, stuck in eternity for eternity like this.

Until.

He was pulled by gravity and fell from the heavens.

Mid-air, he twisted his body around, center of gravity shifted various times. Arms outstretched, fingers spread out – chakra surging there. Like an acrobat, he landed on his hands first, chakra pillow cushioning his fall and taking the greatest of the hit, and using the momentum, Naruto swung his body back in a flip.

It was a bone-melting embrace with the earth as it continued to quake and shake and give quivers that touched him here – and touched him there. He sped off yet, not letting the loss of balance get to him, sweeping his body off the grounds that refused to hold still and a shockwave preceded him. Right ahead, he saw Shikamaru and Sakura stall, apparently having reached a safe spot. Then their eyes widened – a wave of dust rising and falling crashed into their faces.

Naruto's body stopped.

Beneath his feet, the earth was a secure blanket of persuasion once more. Dust particles dissipated. Some remained to cling forlornly onto the spiked tresses of his accomplices, adorning them like necklaces of earthly materials that shimmered, glistened not, their luster gone.

He was ready to grin at them, seeing their faces so disgusted, but when those changed into perplexed, Naruto didn't need to wait again.

No… Not again.

He whipped his body around – never mind the ache, the ever-throbbing dull sense on his chest-

-still shrouded beneath a thick clothing of dust, there He stood. Head lowered, face obscured by the dark strands to stand there, still and proud and it looked as if not the dust, not by the earth itself, could he be bound. For then, his head lifted up, muscles on his so taut a neck stretching, furling around the tender bone structure that revealed for the world to lo and behold – that delicate hollowed out spot where the clavicles were jointed together and where a strand on its own caressed the pale a skin, complexion ever so continuously not of this world and unmarred by the happenings around. Ah.

He looked up.

And He looked at him.

And the world stood still.

_Sasuke._

_Know what we must do, my-_

Sasuke really, inscrutably, a man so poignant and torrid, looked at him, and Naruto looked right back. An anti-climatic moment, he thought for a second, humor and amusement kindly touching his dulled senses.

Sasuke, in all that indestructible, philanthropic glory, wrapped around by something. This and that. Standing there.

No time to waste time.

A blink of an eye-

-they charged at each other.

_Know what I must do, my… best friend…_

Shikamaru screamed-"DON'T DO IT!"

Sakura screamed-"NARUTO!"

Naruto didn't look, didn't listen. It didn't matter. Nothing, in the grand scheme of things, had ever mattered.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

"That… was dangerous," wheezed out Yamato, panting heavily as he sat on the ground, Kakashi and Sai behind him, and a circle of a wooden barrier slowly falling apart, shrinking back into the ground.

Kakashi gave his shoulder a small pat of appreciation, before standing up to his feet. Sai followed shortly afterwards, and all three of them took about the same amount of time to assess the damage, to silently gawk at the boulders smashed into dust and the cracks of ground formed around.

It looked like the end of the world as they knew it. Begrudgingly, they had to admit it wasn't that far off.

The trees around seemed to bow towards the ground, the pine trees sourly so, tips inclined to one side, branches bent in awkward angles and nothing – nothing, as they realized, looking alive. Almost, they'd think.

Almost, as if it the nature were against this. Against this act of presumed treachery.

Kakashi did not want to sigh. Not let out the vocalized sign of what he really felt, yet as Yamato's features contorted and Sai looked so utterly, childishly hopeless, he couldn't help it.

A sigh.

Like the mark sealing their fates.

"Where do we go from here?" asked Sai, gathering his wits, his self, his everything and stepping forward.

Kakashi looked at him-"We-"

It was blasphemy, it was travesty, it was the worst of moments to think "how lucky"; in the distance, cries were heard, chakra signatures flared, the world beckoned once more to feel the tremors of wrong, and Kakashi realized if they'd not felt it, he may have just admitted out loud – he had not an inkling what would come next.

Even as he realized what exactly was going on, that fact remained untouched.

The skies lit up. All hit them in the stomach like sacks of rocks rolling from their wrapped confinements and finding a way out; heaved, they watched, all three of them, in silence disgustingly not of their own desire, as in the distance, they saw for sure-

-Chidori, Rasengan.

Maybe for yet another rare moment, Kakashi felt his knees appear mingled with the breath of fear. And apprehension was growing. It was-

"It's not too late. It never was too late. You lot."

Simultaneously, their three heads turned around. The world was lit up in a mad color combination of blue and white, all placed under its touch, the far away, turned back places dark.

But the villagers in front of them, the whole of Konoha had never looked brighter.

A man stepped out, then a woman, their determination so fierce that Kakashi, for truly the first time in his life, wanted to revere them like figures of Gods.

"You… Your rules, your pains, your deaths, your everything so dismayed," one such villager, one Deity continued, one a person normal, plain, living the life of mundane, yet bestowing upon them and the incoming ninja the words of grandest wisdom. "Always and always just wallowing in your self-pity, not seeing the other way. It's not too late, it never was too late. And let us- us! Us, the simple people, tell you why."

"Why?" It was an air clogged in the windpipe, forced brutally out. Why? Why? If you have the answers, then-

"Because." One of the villagers took a deep breath, and as the light of another attack reached their eyes, Kakashi saw them filled with grief, filled with… Hope, pity, life.

"Because you need to stop considering them ninja. Ninja, ninja, ninja… Not everything is about ninja. Not everything is a fight. Some things, you know, are just about life. Some things, you know… Or just so simple. Just life. Just love. And just about humans."

A little girl stepped out, hands wrapped around the man's waist.

The man placed a hand on top of her head, the contact so beseechingly intimate.

Afterwards, it didn't matter who was talking.

"If you consider for a moment what this has always been about, you will know; your meddling ways while appropriate for your kind, were not meant for them. What you should have done since the very beginning… was consider them human. Discard your knowing of their powers, strength, their standing, and realize… Well, love is just like that, no? So strange, so complicated."

"You saw-"

"We always saw."

"Why not sa-"

"Say? Say. Right. As if you ever listened to us. You're so drunk on your belief you need to protect us, you could have never seen it, never understood what we were saying. And we'd tried, didn't we? Numerous times speaking to the guards, always cut off, always told to go hide, go run to a safer place, they'd take care of it. You sought to protect us, perhaps. In reality, you shielded yourselves from the truth. The truth that, there is a line drawn between our worlds. The world of ninja, the world of human. The differences became you. And you could have never looked past them, never realized some answers were just so simple. You never… Never had to look so hard. The answer was always right there. And all you had to do…"

So many wild, unpredictable instances in the past, no? All would think them, immerse themselves in reveries. Bad timing, bad place? No. The orchestra of pain in the background would last. For a change, all knew it would last, because as the words sank in, they all knew – that if considering the love factor would bring them to ideal reality, then neither Naruto, nor Sasuke could ever land the last strike. Because their own humanity would stop them.

Kakashi felt sad.

He felt… Ruined, wrecked? He felt- many things, many other little details he had not seen before and. How true? Just to ask, just to? Just to.

An explosion in the background.

Almost, he could swear the blows were cries for mercy, pleas to be released, shouts of those estranged. And caged.

Caged. Like the cagey feeling in his chest.

"Only, you had to stop being ninja and become human… And just understand that Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto are not ninja. First and foremost, they are the simple, defenseless people like us."

Us.

Cry. Cry. Cry. Kakashi would not. Not one of them would. It was true. Painful. Disgusting. Simple. Answers coming now and here, answers finally presented to them.

And humanity? If he only forgot for a moment he was senior jounin, the Sharingan Kakashi, if he only discarded that knowing, what remained of him?

The grueling, passionate flame burning and searing only for protection and only for the love for his students, the protectiveness surging to life that everything he'd hidden-

"Let's go."

One. Two, three. Hundreds of them. Konoha.

Konoha stepped forward. No people, no ninja. But united.

_Not as your subordinate, not as your teacher, not as a ninja, but as man, as a human, I am saving you…_

_Naruto, Sasuke._

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

Sasuke would never change. Always, he'd be so apparently nonchalant whichever blow he was delivering, always an exquisite example of a man.

His blows even right now were so sharp, precise, hitting places that hurt the most. There was no doubt in Naruto's mind; this was for real, this was for-

-he got hit. He fell on the ground. And Sasuke's fireball charged at him. Who was he kidding? There was no time for thinking.

Naruto's body sprang up, fingers clinched around the ground, grabbing it along and releasing mid-air, feeling it trickle past his fingers and away, away, away, away dissipate-

-the fire-ball hit that spot a second later and exploded. He was thrown back, impacting with the tree, a bone crushed, then healed, his chakra saving him.

In the distance, Sasuke readied another attack, complicated hand seals formed and Naruto, as he landed on the ground and dusted himself off, cursed the bloodline in Sasuke. What was going to come at him? What? Well-

-the ground rose. Aw… Sasuke had so many tricks up his sleeve.

Blocks of ground formed a spectacular circle, both men perched up on one, rising to the skies and higher, higher above the ground with every passing groan of the planet. Eventually, in the moderate height Naruto could not gauge, they stood, and he looked at Sasuke, expectant-

-felt a wind and rush and felt himself automatically dodge to left, right at the moment as Sasuke's lethal weapon embedded itself in the place he'd occupied not long ago. He twisted his body around and to the side, feeling Sasuke's kick graze and miss him by an inch, and delivering his own blow that staggered that man. Sasuke, yet, was not phased nearly as much, a mere scathing look from beneath his dark strands acknowledging the mistake, before his Sharingan eyes bled stronger and harsher than before, and Naruto found a kunai clasped in his hand.

The blocks started falling, dispersing, balance off.

Still, they clashed upon them, jumping from one to another and another and another, exchanging blows, feeling the blades tear into their clothing and bruises formed and subsequently gone. Not one was too light, not too hard, just average deliverance, kind of a perchance, the what if – what if we fall from this height and die? Can we really die?

The world was tipped to the side, the blocks falling down, gravity, for a moment, removed from under their feet. Suspended in the air, caught in a clinch, the kunai and katana screeched upon touch, throwing them off each other and onto one such block almost gone already; feet landed on the surface unstable, feeling it not sustain their weight, and disregarding that, they jumped in the air, meant to clash again-

-mid air, it was mid-air.

The Naruto felt them arrive.

It was-mid air that as he felt him-felt.

Him.

When they missed, their weapons merely grazing each other, and Sasuke's body arched through the air – and his eyes did not miss a beat, finding Naruto's-

-then averted.

It was then – that Naruto felt so many arrive, his senses jumping to life, the bemoans of his body and their jointed cries reaching his ears and throwing him off. He hit the ground, that earth cracked, ruined already and trees ripped from their roots still firm in the soil, and looked around to see – Konoha?

_Konoha… Konoha… Everyone?_

The golden eyes widened.

… Everyone… come to see his end?

He turned his back to them, seeking Sasuke and seeing him not that far away, already gathered and waiting for him to gather his lost composure, such an esteemed, respectful gentleman-

"NARUTO DON'T!"

What? Startled, he looked back at them, almost certain Sasuke had done the same-

Sakura rushed at him, stopped by hands that pulled her back, coiled around her figure and belonging – to the villagers? That was…? Naruto blinked, genuinely stunned.

_Huh?_

Smartly, his lips parted, no sounds coming out, just the shock of the situation lazily seeping through into his bones. Forgetting about the fight for a while, he looked around.

Everyone. Everyone had come. Truly down to the last child, the just born one, or the infant, the elderly and the lively, young, in the prime of their youth. And their eyes were on him. Just him. Just there.

Just.

Existing.

_And seeing him._

Naruto's knees gave out.

They hit the ground, his body following – and the villagers shouted and he was sure he felt the air crackle and the panic, the fear from afar reaching him as underneath his skin they slithered, the messengers of end.

As he doubled over, ready to retch, but a deep cry left him instead, spilling past his lips and calling forward further panic, the fright so primal and primitive so-

-so… Sasuke? Was that Sasuke? Oh no Sasuke was looking seeing him like this he'd be disappointed he'd be-

_Why am I thinking this?_

With effort, Naruto forced his body up, coercing the muscles into cooperation and standing to his full height again. It didn't matter. He was alright. He could do this. For a while longer. Give or take – an hour? An hour. That was… more than enough.

He closed his eyes-

-he could have sworn then that right before their closure, he had seen that tall, that imposing figure lurch itself forward in the protective, fearful step, that he'd seen the red eyes widen, had seen Him in them…

No.

He looked towards them through eyes heavily-lidded, puffy and redder, witnessing the many of them mouth to him "you don't have to do this".

_I do. I do. I most definitely DO._

No further hesitation.

He charged. Naruto's body became a golden flash, far brighter than this night could manage, and he clashed with Sasuke again, their weapons dropped after the fifth attack and hands and feet becoming all they needed, the necessities for the further survival of mankind, the, the something and he couldn't remember what, Naruto could NOT REMEMBER-Sasuke was hit, fist buried in his stomach, a groan and hiss escaping him-_No, Sasuke, you're not meant to feel this pain, you're not meant to be like this. _

Huh?

Sasuke's knee stubbornly avoided the ground, leaving him in a crouching position. That was strange? Naruto suspected he was an amazing fighter, yet a figure strong enough to illicit such a strong, pained response from the ever-perfect Sasuke? What was that, the weakness in his body? … Delusion.

Naruto forced his body back, putting distance between them.

From the spot, he surveyed the beast opposite of him, anticipating betrayal. None came. Not from either side.

Sasuke just slowly straightened himself up, brushed dust off his shoulders, ran a hand through his hair, chest heaving up and down-something in the back of Naruto's mind acknowledged the scurrility of this fight. Sasuke's movements, deceptively languid and nonchalant, were jagged under closer inspections, his breathing not merely elevated but shallow, raspy and his eyes – so, so…

Naruto clenched his jaw. _I'm seeing things. I'm being stupid. I am that fool again._

"NARUTO!"

What?

Who the hell was-Tsunade?

He shot her a wild look-she just shook her head. "For once, for once." In this distance, how was it possible he could hear her so clear? "Just be selfish."

Selfish?

Always been selfish, always and always. It was time to step up-it was Tsunade holding Sakura meekly back, it was the woman's hand in front of Sakura, the hand slowly slipping down, revealing Sakura behind and her shaking, trembling form, the raw horror in her green eyes and realization. She must have realized then, judging by the unprecedented, unhindered widening of her eyes, what he'd intended for her all along, what she was to have witnessed.

Then, judging by the shake of her head, he was condemned-

-she smiled at him. A blinding smile through tears, and her lips forming the words-

"_You fool."_

Fool.

Naruto blinked.

Something heavy settled in his chest. So heavy he felt it constrict him. Again and once more, the chakra exploded him from, but for once, he couldn't register the pain. Not the pain, not the suffering his own, because he saw them and their eyes filled with understanding and filled with-_we see you, Hokage-sama, we see you…_

You.

You.

You.

You.

_You…_

Naruto choked back a cry.

What were they doing to him? Why were they there? Suddenly, he felt shame. Shame for being here, like he was defiling them, soiling some godly perception of him he'd never understood, because he was just that, Uzumaki Naruto, a simple man appointed their protector in his early 20s, then the self-appointed failure the magnitude of which made him hope for suicide. Something grand, glorious and ungodly, something. Something. A lot like… This? Like. This very instant, the chakra forming on his hands, assuming an exact shape, the condensed chakra.

And despite the horrors of his past actions, despite feeling an unruly child judged for taking the cookie from a jar even despite his mother's threats not to munch on the sweets before dinner, despite the embarrassment of being caught red-handed, all these people were the mother smiling at him and saying – _it's alright, Naruto._

He turned to Sasuke. To his battered form. And he realized, finally, Sasuke was holding back. Because he, Naruto, too was holding back and the entire time not once had they struck with the intent to annihilate.

How insane was that, to believe this fight was a charade?

Naruto beckoned his body to step forward, but felt, despite his best efforts, the hesitation in every move, in the muscles held brutally back and clenched around the bones in hopes of preventing movement, and he saw the same in Sasuke as the man mirrored the movement.

The entire time, to realize only now, Sasuke had never with full intent struck him, to realize so patiently, he'd waited for Naruto to regain his senses, come to… That was…

Sasuke's Chidori crackled to life with unimpressed, ginger flare.

Naruto's Rasengan was created lifelessly, without care.

He ran.

Deep inside, Naruto felt the doubt. He felt the questions – why? Why. And why.

He couldn't decide, couldn't see any longer why he was doing this, why, why he'd fight so strongly against something, why he would do this and he could just look at Sasuke, he was sure, and see the exact answers he was looking for, because always in his spiritual, candid lethality, Sasuke had been transparent to him, transparent out of necessity, out of the resulting, condemned bond between them. Because if he only bothered to look at Sasuke, he would know, he would see, he would-

Naruto clamped his eyes shut, Rasengan swung back, the unified breaths of his ilk held back, sharp intakes of breath taken and their tremulous "no"s heard.

Yes, they were heard. And they were felt. Like poison they were injected into his veins, like water filled his eyes to the brims, like heat, fresh, morning flush in his cheeks, and like warmth under his fingers. They were the caress on his back, a hand in his hair, they were the velvet rush of breath against his ear, the laughter dulcet around him, and the soothing, cathartic something in the air.

They were-

_Sasuke._

Naruto opened his eyes.

The gold hue was flooded by blue, the red shades around his eyes disappearing into tan, and the hyper awareness of the world disappearing into one solid, suffocating acceptance of one man.

They were so close, feet apart, then a foot and then inches, and it was soon to be over with, the tale finished, the "the end" readied, the hero and his arch-nemesis purged, the word a safe place again, the world to be re-born, the sanctity of life preserved, the life to go on, the tale actually forgotten, the details confused, the exact twists and turns disappeared into other stories and the everything nothing bad a bad, bad dream.

The rush of their attacks was the wind sweeping at their faces, howling at their minds, and revealing to him the eyes bleeding a dimmed, dying shade of red. Dark strands were removed, cast back by the force of the attacks, the face fully revealed-

The eyes tilted down, tilted back up, meeting – his.

Their eyes met and Naruto.

Looked at Sasuke.

The world came to a halt.

Everything vanished in the light of the discovery that nothing. Nothing. Mattered. Mattered. Nothing could have mattered. Because the grand scheme of things had always, always and ever been just them.

Because, because Naruto could feel himself sinking into the depths of his mind, could feel the time appropriately freezing at last and showing some God may have been on his side.

It sufficed.

It sufficed.

There Naruto saw-

-that.

The memories unfolding in front of him, the reluctance to act, the fear and the pain. And the moments, the-

_Sasuke turned to look at him. He smiled. In truth, he was smiling. Had been smiling for a moment. And Naruto felt embarrassed by such, riveted to the ground._

_Sasuke, yet, pressed a finger to his chin, forced the head up and said-"I wouldn't ever leave you."_

_Sasuke, then, resumed his previous activity, the picture perfect of solace in his face coyly disappeared. _

_And Naruto, as he lay down next to him by the end, could not help but watch instead, watch silently, shamefully, thinking only -I can't accept that, it's too pretty to be true._

Or-

_The unabashed admission of truth bearing such levity he'd had to ask him to repeat it three times, before Sasuke had, cockily, haughtily, just announced-"I couldn't sleep. So I watched you sleep. Deal with it, Naruto."-and then walked away, the cheek of the bastard! _

_But-_

_-the very next night, lulled to sleep by false promises of rest, awoken hours later by hunger from not being fed well, Naruto had gripped the bed sheets in anger, because-what was Sasuke doing there? Boys did not sleep in the same bed, boys did not… Do that…_

_Ah… Sasuke was sleeping. Not on his side, not exactly on his back. It was an awkward, terse position betraying the unwillingness to fully rest, as if the mere idea of it could be the nectar to his enemies, the lure drawing them near and the smell of blood exciting their need to kill._

_Sasuke sleeping was such a weird, weird sight… Surreal, as Sasuke would say, no? Or maybe bizarre. Naruto afforded to sigh, then averted his eyes- but. It was… Well. Would it hurt?_

_Tentatively, he lay back down, turned his eyes to Sasuke and watched him sleep. And sometime later, Sasuke's body, as if under a spell, visibly relaxed and boldly, ruefully, Naruto thought to himself, one hand almost on Sasuke's face, fingers ready to trace the shape of his forehead, nose and lips-_

_-this is for me, Sasuke? Your biggest, most genuine gift? _

And there was-

_-that silence. Sasuke was cooking. He seldom spoke during that activity. Naruto thought Sasuke didn't enjoy it much. After all, there was little joy in being responsible for someone, no? Or maybe, Naruto could be wrong._

_From the doorway, he observed Sasuke's precise actions. Nothing about him was redundant. Everything executed without a moment to spare, without the notion of superfluous._

_Naruto leaned against the doorway and felt uncomfortable with the cold seeping into his skin._

_He stepped away and- Sasuke remained, dutifully preparing their dinner, head bowed, eyes focused, a deadened shade to them._

_Then Naruto shuffled, Sasuke's motions ceased and the man turned his head at him._

_For a brief, intimate moment, their eyes locked._

_Naruto grinned at him._

_Sasuke parted his lips, melodic, lush breath spilled over them and he smiled too-"Don't help me, Naruto. I don't want you burning down the house."_

_Somewhere inside for reasons unfathomable, Naruto cheered. And like a child, he laughed and left to the living room, before, seconds later, returning with his favorite set of chopsticks he'd dug from a drawer, and using them to poke Sasuke in the cheek. No matter what, Sasuke wouldn't let that disturb him, fixated upon his task._

_Of course, moments later, the prodding got too much and Sasuke snapped the chopsticks in half._

_Naruto mourned their loss. Sasuke handed him the broken pieces-"I'll get you new ones,"-and murmured that._

_There was no time to be stunned. Naruto accepted the pieces, took one between his fingers, and let the ends graze the delicate slope of Sasuke's neck. "And I will torture you again, Uhicha Sasuke-sama!"_

_Just like that, softly, Sasuke laughed._

_They pressed their foreheads together, and the cooking, the little home drama and comfort of their lives, continued._

And then-

_-a woman so beautiful passed by. Naruto was sure that if Sasuke had a type, she would be it, she, the one languidly pressing her side against Sasuke's and giving him the provocative, coquettish eye, but Sasuke wouldn't look at her._

_Sasuke would only look at him._

_Parting with their mission, concluding it finished, ready to return home, they stood in the middle of the street of this smaller settlement, the villagers feeling most flirtatious gratitude to their young and handsome saviors, and Naruto could feel his little heart beat only for the dark-haired man. Somehow, not knowing these people so closely was like a gift and curse, because without the inherent care for their input and without valuing whatever shenanigans they thought them to be fixing-_

_-he could look at Him this openly, this greedily._

_And consider Sasuke enchanting._

_Consider his smile so beautiful. Even if small it was. Even if so seldom he'd glimpse the sight of it. He could not chance upon it often, but when he did-_

_-he intertwined their fingers together._

_The woman keen on the idea of Sasuke and she in disclosed area turned sharply away, a flush of shock under her eyes._

_Naruto, happily, did not care._

_He stuck the other hand in his pocket, swung their hands like children they were and Sasuke forgot to be a cantankerous man, such a ravenous swirl of emotions in his eyes that Naruto felt a blush of excitement and anticipation squeeze his heart. The touch of their fingers was innocuous enough, but under Sasuke's intent eyes, he felt like a child, like someone in love, like-_

_-the most cherished and needed person in the world._

And of course, there was the-

_-Sasuke sleeping again. _

_Over time, Naruto had grown accustomed to them sharing the same bed. Somehow, it would always be Naruto's. That tiny, tiny little thing not fit for two grown-ups crowding it, but despite its size unsuitable for such occasions, Naruto thought it was just right._

_Their bodies were touching and Sasuke was on his side, asleep, sound, content._

_Naruto sighed._

_For once, Sasuke did not stir._

_Naruto reached out._

_For once, Naruto did not stir._

_He touched the man's face with an ample, elaborate caress and there was no ghosting involved, no ghastly fear of being seen laced in his movement._

_For once, Naruto placed his hand on the man's face, shuffled closer and let their foreheads touch._

_Sasuke woke up._

_Naruto gave him a sad, small smile._

_A certain persistent squeeze on his tummy continued. A part of him felt constricted, a wave of heat flushing his entire body and making the toes curl. What was it? He denied himself the right to know, even if in that not distant part of his mind, Naruto knew._

_And knowing brought him grief._

_Lower lip puckered out shamelessly, his eyes fluttered, and something disgruntled in him prompting him to say, in a voice that puerile and honest-_

"_I kinda might just need you more than anything. Don't leave me, Sasuke. Never ever."_

_Sasuke's eyes bled with emotion, maybe panic, maybe genuine fear, before snapped shut, closing with the brush of lashes against his cheeks, and arms going around Naruto's neck to draw him to his chest, until together like that, they slept, Sasuke's steady, strong heartbeat filling Naruto's ears and becoming the best lullaby._

And maybe, must not forget the moment that… That.

_When-_

"_Naruto."_

"_What?"_

"_I love you."_

_Naruto's body froze. Eyes widened, heart forgot to beat, brain to function._

_Sasuke looked at him absently, then turned on his heel. "Thought you should know."_

_He left. _

_Naruto didn't stop him. He sat on the couch in their home, blond hair messy and everywhere, until who knew when, Sasuke returned._

_They didn't look at each other._

_Silence, discomfort reigned on._

_Out of nowhere, back turned to this living, Naruto caught the waft of sensation, then a hand on his shoulder. The fingers gripped the exposed flesh, warmth intermixed, woven into his mind, and the hand was leaving an instant later-_

_-Naruto's hand shot out and held it there._

_For minutes, neither would move; Sasuke stood behind him, Naruto seated, their expressions a mystery. _

_Their humble adobe was silent. It would be silent. Being poor, they had little money to waste on trinkets of affection – affection for their boredom. Amusement would be bred from clashing, sparring and maybe Naruto poking and prodding at Sasuke, hoping to see him snap because – hey, why not? So much delight was taken from the furrowing of Sasuke's brows and the tick in his cheek as he contemplated murder. It was sweet. It was living. Their life. So none of that modern technology. No music to fill their heads. The tap was turned off, no droplets dripping down and making sound._

_It was, as such, an absurd and completely stale place apparently lacking life._

_Unfortunately, under such conditions, senses enhancement was involuntarily formed as a replacement for neglect. _

_Naruto's ears could pick up on the smallest of sounds._

_On his elevated breathing. On Sasuke's._

_On their heartbeats._

_On Sasuke's. _

_On the weeping echo of Sasuke's confession._

_At that moment, Naruto could only think-I know. I know… Sasuke._

Or that moment when-

_-over and over again, in a twisted vicious circle, he'd continue turning his friends down, refusing invitations, refusing becoming a part of their lives, partaking in ordeals otherwise he'd have cherished here and to beyond, and all to remain by Sasuke, all to remain by him, all to feel him…_

_And eventually-_

"_Don't-"_

"_Do-"_

"_Don't you-"_

"_DARE-!"_

"_Leave-"_

_Sasuke was._

_Crying._

_Because Naruto had not handled it well, because he was in Sasuke's arms, body weakened from the attack, the chakra only folding back into his body, via the holes, the wounds in his arms and legs and Sasuke was clutching him dearly and despairingly, whispering to him-_

"_Don't you DARE LEAVE ME, NARUTO."_

_Naruto slumped back, barely breathing. What mistake he'd made? He remembered. He knew what this was. This was the seal acting up. And for months he'd felt slumped, easily worn out, stressed out, for months he'd witnessed the signs of deterioration on him because of own doing and mistaken thinking, because instead of embracing it, he'd shunned it. Now the seal was striking back. His very, very soul was. And there was no stopping it._

_He was dying._

_And he had recently made Hokage. _

_Sasuke's eyes burned with fury. "I have a plan…"_

_Naruto's mind latched onto his words. Life fleeing from his grasp, he looked at Sasuke, rivulets of sweat down his tanned skin, and blood trickling from his lips. At least, he liked to focus only on the lips, even if acutely aware of all, he knew he was bathing in own blood. Own excess-_

_-own. Anguish. And guilt. That were-makingitsosososohard. So hard to hear anything at all, but the creaking of his bones, the shifting of his muscles, the very course of the blood as in panic it swirled to all different direction. And heart was neglected. No blood to pump. Nothing to sustain life. _

"_You won't die. I have a plan. A plan…"_

_Sasuke's eyes became Sharingan._

"_I have had it for some time… For this occasion… You are… not… leaving… me… Naruto. It will buy you time. It could solve it all." Each word seared with despair, each branded by the man's fury. Uchiha. And their anger. Truly, Naruto did not ever want to be on the receiving end of it. _

_His lips formed a smile. _

_He was dying, was he not? But if Sasuke had a plan-_

_-he pushed back the pulsating mess of own despair. As hard, as impossible it as, he did it, almost tangibly feeling the press and struggle of it against his hold as he endeavored to become liberated for a few seconds, just a moment to croak out-_

"_I trust you, Sasuke."_

_Nothing else needed to be said._

_Then the Sharingan swallowed his mind and he saw black, saw the flashes of memories, grayscale, fainted, locked away. Ah-ha, so Sasuke would make him forget then? Just so he could buy him some time. How poetic of the man. Naruto then._

_Naruto then hoped._

_That in the last moment, as unconsciousness instilled drowsiness and sleep on him, he would not fail. Like he had failed now. _

_That in the momentum of stupidity, he would not be a fool… And thwart Sasuke's plan. Hopefully? _

_For once, despite missing the clarity of comprehension brought by the memories Sasuke was locking away, he would maybe trust in his heart for sure._

_The seal would cease its existence. It had never meant to be eternal. Question was, as Naruto lost the very last of those to keep him well informed-_

_-would he cease along with it, or would Sasuke succeed?_

_Or would he forever have that parting memory of Sasuke in his mind, the memory of the dark-clad man sealing his memories away, and trembling heavily as he did so, because of a simple fear-_

_-don't leave me, love?_

Eventually, there was just one moment, one. Exact. Pure. Emotion.

_They were stood together, overlooking the Konoha from the top of the highest point in Konoha, beneath their feet the faces of their founding fathers._

_The sun was not setting down. The sun was not rising._

_The sun just was. An integral but unneeded part of this frivolous existence._

_And Naruto, freshly appointed Hokage, looked at Sasuke._

_And Sasuke looked at him._

_The surge of emotion was too much._

_It was too much._

_It had always been too much._

_But Naruto could not avert his eyes. He gave Sasuke what he hoped to be a faint, reassuring smile, but in reality, it was just the smile of a fool in love._

_He knew then._

_Naruto knew that._

_That he was irrevocably, inexplicably and completely in love._

_With you, Sasuke. Only with you._

The eradicated Sharingan cast a reflection on Naruto's blue eyes; for a moment, they were exactly as red, as intense and as incomprehensibly gritty as Sasuke's, before the red disappeared in a flash, all unveiled.

And Naruto remembered.

With the proximity of one inch separating their hands from lethal blows, he knew everything.

Then, light filled his eyes.

The still night in the Country of Fire was interrupted by a large, luminous explosion. The night, for a few moments, became day and everything a bright, almost exact copy of broad daylight that swarmed the fields, the meadows and tender slopes, embraced the earth ruined yet still striving for life.

For those few moments, none too wiser, everyone present was so firmly convinced this was the end. Of course, only one_ it_ was necessary to burst that bloodied bubble of sacrifice.

"_I can't._"

A body sacked onto the ground.

And the light was gone, shrinking back to its source, revealing two in the middle, frozen in time.

Naruto grabbed his head, cradled it in two hands, stood to shaky feet-

-looked with eyes full of tears.

"I can't… I can't… What have I done… What have I done…"

Despair oozed off him, drenching his words in its state accumulated over years, originating from the dejected moment of denial, of refusing to admit that-

"SASUKE!"

Wind.

"I'm such a fool."

Naruto's words cut throughout the surroundings.

And the forest wept back in a song to echo its agreement.

There was a loud, piercing noise as their attacks, released in the air, hit the ground. The world trembled.

No-one cared.

Naruto looked at Sasuke and looked him in the eye, looked him in the face and finally saw in there all he'd ignored in the past.

"I… am… such an idiot. Such a fool… I am so, so… so sorry… Sasuke…"

A choke.

"God, such an idiot-such an… IDIOT I AM, SASUKE!"

A sound.

"IamIamoh god what have-what… have I almost done… to think I'd have-to you, to you… Sasuke…"

A cry.

"I was so wrong, so mistaken the whole time… _So stupid to doubt you, Sasuke."_

A crispy, shuddering sound taken.

Not Naruto's.

Naruto, for, was beyond the sobs, his features contorted by the realization of what he'd done-

Sasuke lowered his head, obscuring his features, a strand in exquisite parade trickling past his cheekbones and to the chin.

Naruto touched his face, hands placed on the warm skin now getting suspiciously, starkly wet, salty diamonds produced and impacting with the fingers splayed out.

Another choked sob, another sound-

"I finally know, Sasuke. I finally know…"

Sasuke looked up.

Brows furrowed, brows rose, brows met mid-way, eyes closed then opened, redness invading, for this refreshing, human change, the whites.

And Sasuke let out a strangled sound. "YOU FOOL!"

And all was dropped.

The fighting and the clashing, the weight of their feelings that Naruto for once would not deny and wage a war against, because he was seeing his past mistakes and the pain, oh god… OH GOD. The pain he had put Sasuke through, the months of separation, the months of believing it was beyond salvation-

-so desperately, Sasuke touched him back, hands first on his shoulders, hovering, testing – was this real? – before they felt the warmth seep through, so tangible, and their touch became visceral, accursed, tactile.

And then Sasuke's fingers were digging into Naruto's flesh, through the material and ignoring its presence, resembling claws as they were positioned that way, and Sasuke was doubling over, the pain of the past months catching up and Naruto wanted to fling all away. All. All. All.

"Sasuke… Sasuke…"

He pulled the man's head up, let his hands slither towards his chest.

Everything. Everything he had contained. Naruto remembered now. And he knew that Sasuke had never betrayed.

No…

What was the truth? So easy. The fear, Naruto supposed, as he looked deeply into Sasuke's black eyes, of being abandoned by someone you loved with such horrifying dedication, was irrational. Irrational enough you would gladly believe at one point, it was fabricated. After all, love wasn't an affair, an age, sex difference, the parents' disapproval, the friends saying no, the distance being an obstacle, or the world of material pointing accusing fingers at their different clothing, the silk and wool differing greatly in price and hoping to prove a point.

Love wasn't that.

Love was this.

This disdained realization you didn't need anyone else in your life and fuck feet planted on the ground, misery be the friendship of anyone else, gone the testament to needing more.

It was this simple crucifix, this death of world and knowing that.

You only need him. This one person.

How astounding was it know that in the face of absolute helplessness, he'd have turned to his fear of all being a lie, that he would have thought – the seal had forced them into this, and that once it dissolved, Sasuke would leave him. Granted, going against own emotions so powerful… He really was a fool. Naruto acknowledged that.

But he acknowledged that in happiness.

A thread appeared between them.

Shimmering, tender, delicate.

Naruto pulled back, grazed it lightly with the tip of his finger. It shuddered.

There was a gasp heard and the people, for a surprising twist of events, seeing it too.

Naruto's lips drew back, a lop-sided, transient smile formed.

He witnessed Sasuke's hand touching it too and it was shared.

Black a night in a natural course fell on the two, on the whole of Konoha, on the artificially formed meadow with cracked, wounded ground.

"Naruto…"

"Yeah."

They looked at each other.

Struck by fear, Naruto swallowed. But he nodded. "It was always us."

The corners of Sasuke's lips turned down. "Always us. This won't go away."

"I know now."

"Now."

"Now…" The resonance of that word made the white thread quiver.

From Naruto's body, the chakra snakes appeared, uncoiling from around his frame, yet soothing, considerate, becoming pillars in the air and furling around the two of them.

Naruto took a deep, shuddering breath. "I believe now. Sasuke. I believe. We don't need this. We never really needed this seal, did we?"

The seal as if in response, shone through, and Naruto closed his eyes.

"We never, ever really did."

Hesitation.

"Naruto-"

"No."

No hesitation. None. Whatsoever.

Naruto looked Sasuke dead in the eye.

Smiled his brilliant, beautiful smile.

"_I love you, Sasuke."_

In a swift, startling motion accompanied by shock on Sasuke's side, their hands curled the thread.

"I really always have. I'm a fool."

And separated it.

"A fool for you."

The threads came apart, suspended in the air meekly for temporary rebellion, before dissipating into particles of light, the pillars of chakra finding their venture to the beyond and meeting them mid-way, light so bright enveloping the two men.

They experienced the disconnection like an appliance beyond unplugged. Somehow, the silence anticipated did not come.

Because they never needed it in the first place.

For a while, it felt like they were inside the mind of a decaying man again, but the distortion did not care come, tranquility in reign instead.

The decay disappeared. Weight was lifted.

The veil, too.

Until Naruto realized this was their mind. And why Sasuke had never wanted to share his with him, never allowed him a glimpse.

And as that realization fully hit Naruto fair and square against his face, the berating slap of the mother for the disappearance of cookies before dinner, loudly and happily, he laughed.

Figured why Sasuke had always refused to share.

Because his mind was filled with love for him.

And fear of rejection.

Naruto laughed on, the world returning and life in his veins, strong, lucid, lively and shapely like the shine in his eyes.

It didn't matter now.

The end had come.

When the light had gone, the story over, tiredly, he slumped, caught in Sasuke's hands, before Sasuke himself succumbed, and with feet in panic pattering towards them, chimes of gasps and cheers reaching their hearts, together, they fainted into blissful and well deserved oblivion.

)) ~it_has_come_to_this_too far_soul_to_be_sole~((

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, but the story idea is mine alone.

**A/N:** It took me only around two months x) Well, what can I say? First and foremost, I should say that despite my apparent disappearance, you guys never gave up on me. I kept receiving reviews, people reminding me they were still on the lookout for another update, and damn… It really made me feel happy. Of course, I had my reasons for taking such a long time. I am in my last year of university and frankly, I had too many things to annoy me, stress me out to really find enough inspiration to finish this chapter. I had started it shortly after posting the previous one, yet it took me an impossibly long time to sit down and wrap it up… Which I eventually managed within hours. Oh, the irony! Well, what to say? Um…

Just that I had always known it would end like this. True true, I did say in numerous replies to reviews that I couldn't foretell how it was to end… Well, I lied :D I had known since chapter one that Sasuke and Naruto could never possibly leave each other to die. Of course, the journey from THAT to this was long, complicated, full of obstacles… But I loved it.

Also, I didn't reply to all the reviews for the last chapter. I received an astounding number of 20 reviews just for the last chapter _ Oh, wow, what is this? And then extra reviews from loyal readers ahhhh –flails– god I love you people so much Dx I'm trying to express my joy here, but apparently emotionally drained from this chapter and thus failing. Ugh, WELL. I appreciate all the reviews, signed or not, everything! They are legit amazing and everyone who read my story, bore with me and/or reviewed, needs a delicious double chip chocolate cookie T_T And I hope you enjoy(ed) the last chapter. We only have the concluding epilogue left, which is being written as you read this and should be up shortly, within a week or two. The epilogue will be the closure, it will offer both poems I had constructed over the course of Sole and that hold a specific meaning.

Should anything still elude you, feel free to ask in your reviews and I will either respond to every question individually, or include them in the A/N in the epilogue. So um…

Much love, enjoy the chapter, (as per usual, ignore any errors you stumble upon), SPREAD LOVE and yes, Naruto's realization in the end? A message to us all. And truly, the point of the story; love, so scary an experience…

_Next up, the epilogue and the end. _

**Rating:** PG-13 for themes, blood, swearwords, and **sexual undertones.**

Thanks for reading. Remember to R&R! x)

If you have any questions, add them in a review or message me personally :)


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